


The Other Planet

by Triceratops_the_dino



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ezra - Freeform, Kai - Freeform, Mild Gore, Other, the other planet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 08:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16531355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triceratops_the_dino/pseuds/Triceratops_the_dino
Summary: What if I told you there's another planet with another life form, similar to a humans? What if I told you this planet was connected to Earth, and every twenty years someone gets sucked in?Not many people know about this planet. I do because my parents both got sucked in. It's how they met. And I guess it was written in my fate to also fall in, because here I am now.Every time this happens, you have to engage in a subhuman species and human war. It's long, and brutal. If you die, that's it, no one will know where you went, or how you died.If you live, you get to return to Earth and live out the rest of your days, plagued by the deaths caused by you.This is my story.





	1. Chapter 1

My name is Ezra. I have brown eyes and light brown hair, cut short. My story starts exactly two weeks ago.  
It was a bright and sunny day, the sky cloudless and a magnificent light blue, and slightly windy. Since it was early October, the air had a slightly cold and crisp feeling, making it officially sweater weather.   
I don't know how much you already know about the void, but once every twenty years, this...void, I guess, opens up and puts a random number of people on this other planet that is somehow linked to Earth. On this planet, you have to fight a war with the subhuman species living there.   
Apparently it's hard to tell the difference between human and subhuman so people end up killing their own kind. Only the subhuman can tell the difference, which is their advantage, but they supposedly aren't that fast, so we humans have that advantage.   
Not many people know about this void thing, and I don't know why. I know about the void because my parents both got sucked into it at the same time. It's how they met, and then one thing led to another, the war they were in was won on their side, and once they got back, the nightmares started, and I guess it made sense for them to live together as roommates to be there for one another, and eventually they fell in love, and here I am, alive.  
So, now that I've caught you up to speed with everything I know, sometime this year marks twenty years since the last war. If I were a child, I wouldn't be so worried, because children are exempt until they're eighteen years of age. But go figure I just turned eighteen, meaning that however this selection works, I'm eligible.   
Back to the story. I was merely out on a stroll, enjoying the crisp October air, when, in an instant, my world turned black, and I swear I saw stars. Not the ones like you see in cartoons when people get hit, real stars. Like the ones in outer space. And then my world went black.  
When I came to, I was in an unfamiliar setting, and not on my walk. The room was a teal color. The bed covers were also teal, which made me feel like I was suffocating. It was too much of the same color. The sheets were white, and so were the curtains on the one window in the room.   
The window was big enough to need curtains, but too small to break out of. Essentially, I was a prisoner. The terrain outside is very different to that of Earth's. The ground is yellow, and from the window, appeared a very light yellow and dusty, similar to what they tell you is on the moon, but tinted yellow instead of grey.   
The sky was dark, and full of stars, you could see everything that was happening in the sky. It was almost as though there was nothing prohibiting us from the entirety of space. It was all just there. What I still assume to be the moon on that planet, was hanging in the air, an orb of shimmery sea blue and green. It was a very breathtaking sight, and had I not been overcome with panic, I would have sat and admired it for a while.   
As it was, I really was overcome with panic; I was afraid someone had used some sort of drug on me and put me in some weird room or something. As I paced the room, desperately clinging to any glimmer of hope, a growing sense of dread filled my stomach. I had to accept that this was my worst fear come true: I was on The Planet, and I was going to have to fight and kill...subhumans.   
Attached to my room, however, was a bathroom. I was trying to distract from the dread gnawing at my stomach, and went to explore. It was cruel, because it was the most luxurious looking bathroom, almost as if it were built so lavishly to taunt their prisoners. I remember shaking my head in disgust, their cruelness only causing the ball of dread to grow.   
Along with it, though, is anger. I'm in an unfamiliar setting, and no one close to me knows where I am. I half want to throw something, and half want to flop onto the bed and scream. I settle for neither option and instead hold in my anger, to use it as an advantage on the field.   
That's a terrible way to be thinking, but I can't help it. I refuse to die, I don't want to be the one that no one ever finds the body of, the one where no one knows where he went. I'm going to make it back, even if it comes at the cost of nightmares and terrors from the field.   
Through all of this, I still cannot believe that I never tried to open the door. When that idea entered my head, I slapped a hand to my forehead and walked to the door. Right as I was going to place my hand on the doorknob, it swung open, and my hairs stood on end.   
In front of the now open door was a man, he was a bit short, and had a young face. He wore a blank expression, but had big electrifyingly green eyes, ones that swam with curiosity—hidden, almost imperceptible curiosity. He had very dark brown hair, but it was tied back in a bun, so I'll never be able to tell you all what hair length he had, though I guess it doesn't matter that much. The man opened his mouth to speak. "I am called Kai, and I am here to serve you all throughout the war. I do not know how they do it back on your mother Planet Earth, but I will do my best to be of help." Kai said, his voice monotone, but one that suggested he was masking his thoughts.  
I opened my mouth, my brain telling me to respond before the silence grows and I look rude, but I found myself unable to do anything than utter my name and stick out my hand. "...Ezra." I said, and Kai looked down at my outstretched hand, and cocked his head to the side in what I took to be confusion. My face was flushing with embarrassment, I was quick to place my hand by my side.   
I turned my head away and told myself to calm down, because how on Earth was I supposed to know they don't shake hands? After what felt like two hours but probably was two minutes, I managed to calm down and turn back. But Kai was gone, and the door was left open.   
That was probably a mistake on his part, and I knew I shouldn't have snuck out, I should've sat on my bed like my conscience was telling me. However, of course I couldn't listen to the smart voice in the back of my mind that told me to stay put, and just close the door. So, of course you figure I went out. And that's true, because something about Kai was off, even before I saw him, I knew something was different. And not necessarily a good different.  
Anyways, I stepped outside the room, and there was a long white hallway, lit by hidden lights. I looked on both sides of the hallway after exiting my room. The hallway seemed to go forever, somewhat narrow, but lined with doors. I can't see anything but doors and hallway, so I close my door, not all the way, so I can get back in after, but enough so if someone walks by, they won't notice that I've escaped my room.   
I quietly walk through the hall, making sure not to make a sound and alert anyone. From what I can see, there aren't any cameras, which was a bad move on their part. Oh well, I've got the advantage right now. I keep walking, and after what I assume to be five minutes, I reach a door. It appears to be dark oak, and upon further inspection, there are intricate details carved in the door. I push the door open and look both ways, just in case. I don't know what would happen if I were caught, and I don't want to find out.   
Still though, there isn't any sign of any subhumans around here. So, I tentatively take a step outside and the room again is painted white, but all the furniture is a dark brown. the room is absolutely humongous though, and if anyone comes in here, I have many options on where to hide. I mentally note that, and file it under important things in my mind.   
The room, decorated like a seating lounge, lead to a kitchen, also with dark brown cabinets and a white granite countertop. I searched through the cabinets and drawers. This must be where only us humans stay, because if all the movies are correct, sub species wouldn't eat our food. Something to do with it not looking appetizing.   
So finding the cabinets filled with things like Cheez-Its, and Goldfish, or things like jellybeans and SweeTarts, was a mood lifter for me. I also mentally set a reminder to grab the Cheez-Its on my way back to my room. Beige barstools were rooted to the ground with what looks like to be screws. Probably so they couldn't be used as weapons, I guess. That's too bad.   
I was heading towards another door, made of the same dark oak, when a crackling sound comes from somewhere above me, and someone says "Soldier number 228 has escaped. Approach under caution, he may be armed. Do not harm under any cost. Go men, go." Then my own alarm bells started going off.  
In the distance, I could hear shouting and the rhythmic stomping of boots on tile. Panicking, I ducked into a cabinet, which was big enough to fit me, but not big enough so I could sit there for a while. I made myself take deep breaths through my mouth, to calm down and not be heard at the same time.   
While I'm trying to stay calm, my mind flits to Kai, which is strange since I haven't even known him for twenty four hours. Kai with the big green eyes, the subhuman who seemed really sweet for someone who had to tend to a person going to war with his people. I hadn't thought how my sneaking out and exploring might effect Kai, and how I don't know the laws here so I don't know what would happen if they held him accountable.   
This only makes my thoughts even worse.   
I need to get back to my room, unnoticed and quick. I don't want Kai to be held accountable for something that isn't his fault. It wouldn't be fair.   
They swamped the kitchen, looking throughout the room, but not checking the cabinets. Probably because no one bothered to check how big they were before sucking random soldiers into this world. I wait for them to leave, and they go back through the door I was going to go through when this whole thing happened, and as soon as I do, I hear another door creak open.   
"Ezra? Are you in here, Ezra?" I hear. It's definitely Kai. I recognize his voice. "It is me, Kai." I slightly smiled at the fact that he sounded worried for me. Of course, that isn't something to be happy about it, but I was in a place I didn't recognize, and I wasn't feeling too good or happy. So the fact that Kai might actually be worried about me made me warm towards him.   
I cracked open the cabinet door a little, and I can see Kai's figure. His head snaps over to where I am, and he rushes over immediately. "Ezra, what were you thinking, sneaking out of your room?!" He asks, a mixture of relief and anger swimming in his voice.   
"I—you left the door open, and I wanted to explore, so I...I went. I didn't think about if anything would happen to you, and I'm really sorry—" I begin, before I'm cut off.   
"It is fine. Nothing will happen to me, they think you escaped yourself. But we need to get you back now, before they find you." He sounded fearful, and I wanted to ask why, but the panic and fear in his eyes told me that my questions would have to wait.   
I crawled out of the cabinet and grabbed the hand Kai offered. For someone as short as him, he sure had a lot of strength. It's too bad neither of us were paying attention to what was happening around us. Otherwise we would've heard the two men who split from the group trying to find me and run to my room.  
Sadly, we weren't paying attention and they barged into the room, and we both jumped, startled. "There he is!" One of them shouted. The other repeated the message into a walkie talkie situated on his shoulder.   
I turned to Kai. "Tell them you had just found me and were going to tell them." I whispered to him.   
"But that is lying and I cannot leave you alone, Ezra!" He whispered back. I slightly pushed him, I didn't want him in trouble because of me.   
I heard him sigh, and tell the people what I told him to say. They nod, and put my hands behind my back, handcuffing me, and each placing a hand on either of my shoulders to make sure I don't attempt to run. I roll my eyes; even if I could, I wouldn't. I take a chance that whatever is going to happen to me won't get worse and decide to ask what's going to happen. "You have seen too much, and it was not meant to happen this early. Now, even though we do not want to, we must wipe your memory of this." Shock runs through my veins, and I feel the blood drain out of my face.   
I can sense Kai's eyes on me but I don't turn to him. "S-so this means I won't remember anything that happened since I woke up?" I ask, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.   
"Yes." Is the response. My blood turns to ice, and they start to walk me to another room. Right before we walk out the door, I turn my head, and see Kai standing still, watching. I offer a small smile to him, and then the door shuts.   
I'll meet him again, I guess.


	2. Chapter 2

Kai knew there was going to be a problem even before the void opened. It was going to be his first time serving a soldier from another planet, yet he had a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He already knew his charge's name, and some details of his life, but not his appearance. Ezra, just turned eighteen, and his parents had both been in the last "war." He was a bit disappointed at the fact that there were no photos of the boy though.   
Kai didn't call it a war, simply because it wasn't. There was no point to it, it it just seemed to be senseless murder. And for that, he hated this planet relentlessly. He yearned for a place unlike this, something more than his dry, bland world. Stars seemed dreary to Kai, having seen them his whole life, so prominent and shiny, like pestering flies around a bad scent. And the seventeen year old found the shimmering blue green moon hanging endlessly in the sky annoyingly bright. Sometimes, he would muse about a world where the moon was white, and where there was actually light instead of dark all the time. It sounded strange and peculiar to Kai.   
To be honest, he was excited to meet his charge, but also nervous. He would try to stay as detached from the boy as possible, but Kai had always found it hard to not see the happiness in everyone. He would be devastated if he grew close to Ezra, only to lose the guy to "war." And there was a gnawing sense that he was going to do something wrong and Ezra was going to take the fall. So the night before, that was what kept him up.   
Suffice to say, Kai's stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies doing acrobatics. All because he didn't want to go and mess things up. He wouldn't have been doing this job, had he been given the choice, but his family had always been in debt with the emperor of the planet, and doing this essentially cleared his family's debt. And even though he hated having to serve his country and essentially be a slave, he loved his family more than anything, which gave him determination to keep pushing through this. So, as he lay that previous night, he made himself hardened to the thought of Ezra. He couldn't get close. And then the boy actually arrived.   
The day had started off fairly well. Kai woke up early, ate breakfast, said bye to his family, and walked to work. He arrived a couple of minutes early, and was at his post in front of Ezra's door. Inside, he could hear pacing and murmurs, silent questions floating through the door, and hit Kai like bullets to the heart, each effectively cracking his indifference to the boy.   
Taking a deep breath, he swung open the door, a bit shocked when he saw Ezra right behind the door.   
(switch to first pov oops)  
I let Ezra examine me, seeing as I was already examining him. Dark brown eyes, with light brown hair, and a pale complexion...he was beyond different to everyone on this planet. He was taller than me, but then again, I'm a bit short for my age, so almost everyone is taller than me anyways. He seemed to radiate confusion and sorrow, making me frown for a split second. "I am called Kai, and I am here to serve you all throughout the war. I do not know how they do it back on your mother Planet Earth, but I will do my best to be of help." I said, keeping my voice masked and monotone.   
"Ezra." He replied, and stuck out his hand. I didn't know why he was showing me his hand, and I cocked my head slightly, thinking about what this was supposed to symbolize. I was sure it was a greeting of so,e sort, but before I could figure out what to do, he withdrew his hand and turned away, his face flushing slightly.   
When I left is when I made my Big Mistake. The one that I knew was coming. I left the door open; which I wasn't supposed to do, in case my charge was curious and decided to wander around.   
I was in the kitchen that the workers use, preparing a simple meal for me and Ezra (it was required to eat with your charge), when the voice came on the speaker. I had been making this Earth dish I was told they like, spaghetti, or pasta. I'm not sure of the difference, if there is one at all. Instantly, I knew it was Ezra. I turned off the stove, and ran out of the kitchen, straight to Ezra's room. Sure enough, he was gone. I paced the room for a minute, and then wandered out, closing the door behind me. I felt like a failure, but I needed to find Ezra.   
I was in the soldier's kitchen area, and feeling very frenzied, the forces had just left the room when I entered. I could sense Ezra's presence, but I couldn't pinpoint where. I was in the seating area, my back turned to the kitchen when I heard a slight noise behind me. I whipped around and my congratulatory lights went off. I had found him! But now I had to get him to his room safely, so he might be able to escape the consequences.  
I really did try. I helped him out of the cabinet, but had I not been so focused on him in general, and trying desperately to keep my reserve from cracking, I would have gotten him to his room safely. But it didn't play out like that because two men decided to barge in. And they found him.   
Now they're taking him to wipe his memory. He won't remember anything that happened since he got here, meaning he won't remember me, either. Right before the door closed behind him, when I was frozen with guilt, I swear Ezra turned and smiled. Then the door closed. That was when I broke down.   
Big, fat tears streamed down my face. I basically broke every single rule. The guilt of knowing Ezra took the fall for me tore me up inside, and I sank to the floor, allowing myself a little time to cry, and then cut it off. I needed to stop, tears won't solve anything.   
I trudged back to the kitchen, and threw what I had made in the trash, angry and upset. The thought that I would have to introduce myself again brought tears to my eyes. I would sniff, and bite my lip to keep from the tell tale sign go "I'm gonna cry" that is lip quivering. Eventually, I was able to gain control of myself, so I let out a sigh and started working on the pasta for the second time.   
As soon as I finished, I got a buzz that told me that his memory was done being wiped and he was in his room, woozy, but unharmed. I grabbed the plates and headed to his room, dread once again filling my whole body.   
I opened the door, my hands shaking, and saw him sitting on his bed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. I moved towards him silently, attempting to not startle him. "I'm Kai," I begin softly, "I'm here to serve you during the duration of the war." I say. He looks up. "Ezra."   
I nod at him. "I've got some food, I was thinking we could get to know each other over lunch." I state, trying to make my voice cheerful. It was among the first thing taught to us serving the soldiers. We have to make our assigned soldier feel as though they have an option for anything. Really, it's just another cruel way to lure them into a sense of calm.   
I set the plates on a mini table and turn to see the slightly panicked look he had when I walked in replaced by a calm one. I do my absolute best to keep from frowning. How can I keep this boy safe from these people's intentions? I'm attempting to form a plan when I hear my age being asked. "I am seventeen years of age, and you?" I reply, pretending as though I don't already know the answer.   
"I just turned eighteen, actually." I nod, feigning interest.   
The conversation dwindles to a stop, an awkward silence replacing it. Ezra turns to his food, spacing out, and I pick at mine, not hungry whatsoever. "So...what are your thoughts on this place?" Ezra cuts in, which is strange. You would expect me to be asking that.   
I shrug. I want to dismiss the question because I don't know if this room is bugged. I bite back a sigh, and answer his question anyways. "It's okay, I guess. Sometimes I wish to see a white moon though." I answer honestly. When I meet his eyes, he's grinning.  
"What?" I ask.  
"We have a white moon on Earth," he says, "but I kinda like the blue-green moon you guys have here." I nod, it makes complete sense, the fascination with someone else's world.   
"It's a nice color, but it kind of gets annoying after a while. A white moon, one that fills the world with white light, now that sounds peculiar." He acknowledges my statement, and lets the conversation drift to an end.   
It's a peaceful quiet this time, though. Both Ezra and I need time to wrap our minds around things. I can't let his memory get wiped again, no matter the circumstance. One was risky enough, and the government here knows it. I won't go into too much detail about it, but that machine was tested once before. The volunteer was unharmed, but the other prototypes of the machine resulted in brains being melted. So the fact that they took him to the machine fully knowing the risks while the machine was still in prototype phase was very unnerving.   
By now, if you weren't swayed that the government here is terrible, you do now. It's obvious that the government of my home planet is very flawed and not trying to better themselves. It's my firm belief that if the government weren't like this, I might love this place. The ugly truth is that the way this government is overshadows the beauty of this place.   
By the time lunch is over, I've only had half of my plate. The other half sits there, abandoned and cold. So at this point, I'm definitely not eating it. I walk to the door, and after five minutes of promising I'll be back, I close the door firmly behind me. It's too late to fix what happened the first time, but I can make sure I don't make any more mistakes.   
The thought of my mistake from earlier still hurts like a bleeding wound. I glance at the closed door when I'm at the end of the hallway, and press a concealed button, and open the hidden door. The servants kitchen. One door reminds me of who I am in this terrible scheme.   
Not that I could ever forget my place. How could I ever forget that if I went down in history, people would know me as a servant before anything else? I have to quickly shove those thoughts out of my head, before they get any worse. After all, I'm only seventeen; I've got my whole life ahead of me. I hope.  
I'm starting to feel drowsy, the days occurrences wearing me thin. In just one day, I've caused my charge a memory wipe. Every time I think about it, I start to feel nauseous. My family would be so disappointed in me. I need to keep this away from them, and start doing better.   
The dishes are washed, but I don't feel so ready to go back. The memory wipe is supposed to be more of a punishment to the worker, not the soldier. I really need to stop thinking about it.   
Instead, I'll think about what Earth must be like. I imagine something soft would blanket the ground, though I'm not sure what color it would be. Of course, the soft ground could be stemmed from my knowledge of the dusty ground here. I let myself build an imaginary world, decorating it how I see fit. The last thing I do is add a home in a circular clearing surrounded by stalks shooting out of the ground covered with a burnt orange color.  
That's where I'd like to live, alone, away from noise and people. I sigh as I exit my fantasy world. I did promise I would go back and visit Ezra again.  
Right outside his door, I can sense he's about to reach for the doorknob, just like when I was about to open the door this morning. I quickly grab a hold of the doorknob, and twist it open, adrenaline starting to flow, weary at the thought of a repeat of this morning.   
Just as I guessed, he's standing right there, just like this morning...I wish it were only deja vu. That would help me calm down.   
Snapping out of my thoughts, I find we're both frozen in our spots, watching each other. And with a stabbing pain, I can see Ezra doesn't trust me. I need to remember that not everyone is as trusting as I am. And it totally makes sense—person gets abducted, and wakes up in a completely different world? That's enough cause to not trust me; but it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt me.  
I walk in and close the door behind me. "Y-you came back." He whispers, relief flooding his face. This shocks me. He thought I wouldn't come back.   
"Of course I did, I wouldn't break my promise." I whisper back, looking up at him. He looks away, unable to meet my eyes.   
I shrug it off, and sit down on his teal bed, and he sits beside me. I let him sit in silence for a minute, and then turn to him. "Look Ezra, I know it must be hard, you woke up on a completely different planet, and if the roles were switched, I would do the same thing as you." I start, and Ezra opens his mouth to respond, when I hold up a hand to signal I'm not done yet. "But I need you to trust me one hundred percent. I'm not going to tell anyone anything that can be used against you, no matter what, okay? But I—you can't reach for the doorknob, please." I finish.   
"Why can't I leave this room?" He asks, a challenging look on his face.   
"I can't tell you that, but the consequence is not work it, not at all." I say, my voice taking a pleading edge.   
"I need to know why, otherwise I'm not sure I can say yes." He replies. I know this is reasonable for him to say, but I'm stressed and I can't have a repeat of this morning, and I can feel everything going to rubble inside of me, cracking like if I smashed a thick glass cup at the floor.   
I don't want to seem like a baby and cry in front of Ezra, but I physically cannot take this anymore and force myself to act like its okay. And this causes more torment in me.   
My eyes go glossy from the buildup of tears, and ashamed of crying, I turn away so I can't be seen. We stay silent, no questions asked by Ezra and I'm grateful for that. After a couple of minutes, I manage to stop crying and turn my head to face straight at the wall opposite his bed.   
I feel his eyes watching me, I can't tell what he might be thinking. I straighten my back against the wall behind me and sit posture perfect, closing everyone out. It's just me inside my stupid stupid brain now.   
Eventually he turns his face away from me, and looks the opposite way, outside the terribly tiny window. I inaudibly sigh, and rub my eyes, starting to yawn. It can't be past three in the afternoon, but all my stress has worn me out, and if I could, I would take a nap. But I can't.   
Instead, I whisper, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to look out for you so nothing bad happens to you. You don't have to trust me if you don't want to." And begin to get up off his bed, making towards the door to leave.   
"Wait." I stop, but don't turn around. "I'm sorry, I'm being mean and irrational. I trust you, you don't have to give a reason why."  
I turn and smile slightly at him, less stressed than I was before. "Don't go yet, please." He says, looking down. My smile falls, and I'm shocked at the request, but I nod, and sit next to him on the bed.  
I guess it's only a slightly strange request, but I won't judge him. If I were in his shoes, I would want a companion next to me.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up this morning knowing it was daytime, but lacking the golden rays of sunshine. Back on Earth, I would groan at the sun poking through the closed curtains, but now that I am without them, I feel a hollow, aching spot, throbbing with a dull pain. An unnecessary reminder that I am no longer on my home planet.   
Three sharp knocks collide with the door. I don't respond, I simply close my eyes again and wish I were back home. Who knows, maybe if I try hard enough, it'll work.   
In any case, it doesn't. With my face buried in the surprisingly soft pillow, I hear the door open and Kai's voice floating through, telling me that I really need to get up. "Five more minutes." I manage to groan out. After that, I don't hear a reply, or any movement and I simply come to the conclusion that he left, and I allow myself to drift into the blissful peace once more.   
When I wake up again, it's surely been longer than five minutes. I open my eyes and sit up, yawning. Looking around the room, I see a pulled in chair, abandoned now, but perhaps has been used, and a plate of eggs on the side table. Undoubtedly, Kai was the one who cooked the eggs, and for that I'm grateful. Because I'm sure that these aren't dishes that are commonly eaten her on this planet, but him going out of his way to make me feel better incited a certain warmth inside me.   
I flopped back down, and stared at the ceiling. My brain kept telling me that this was all wrong, the sun should be shining, I should be waking up to the smell of coffee on the stove, and hearing the sound of hushed chatter between my mom, dad, and younger sister, who has always been an early bird.   
Still, even though I haven't met anyone else, Kai is probably among the most human-like person here. "I guess you are finally awake again." A voice says to me, and I startle, sitting up.   
"You scared me! How come you don't make a sound when you're moving around?" I exclaim, crawling out of the bed and standing in front of him. He shrugs, looking elsewhere, and I spot a piece of paper in his hand.  
"What's that?" I ask, and point a finger to the paper, hoping beyond all odds that it's from someone I know, or even just another human soldier.   
"Oh, this is the schedule for today." Kai states, his voice as formal as ever, and I resist rolling my eyes. "Today is centered around training, of course it is paramount that food is eaten prior to any sort of physical activity."   
That much is obvious, but I decide to bite my tongue, especially considering he did say "of course.' I feel a sense of guilt and shame creep into my stomach, worming its way into my thoughts. What am I being so mean to Kai? He didn't ever do anything to hurt my feelings or me. I know that if I were being downright rude to Kai, he wouldn't think I meant it, he'd probably think that I have the right to be rude because I've been taken out of my own world and nothing is ever going to be the same.   
I push those thoughts out of my head when I realize Kai is talking again; "...four hours of training, a two hour break for lunch, and four more hours of training, and then let's see, after that is a shower followed by dinner, and then curfew." I have to admit, I'm grateful Kai got assigned to me rather than some rude, despondent person. At least Kai is genuinely nice, and he seems oddly familiar, though I can't quite place my finger on why.  
Glancing behind him, Kai sighs before furrowing his brows and bites his lip. He slips into what seems to be a deep, thoughtful trance. I wanna ask, but I don't want to poke and prod at him. My question slips out anyway. "What's wrong?" I instantly wanna take those words back and swallow them.   
Kai's eyes clear out of their tranced look, and his head snaps to me. "I—uhhh, nothing nothing, they are just supposed to be sending a package, with your training suit and what you will be fighting with. They were supposed to be here two minutes ago, though." He replies, turning and watching the now closed door.   
Right after he says that, knocks sound at the door, and then footsteps walking away. Huh, I guess not everyone walks as quietly as Kai then, which makes me wonder why he learned how to walk that quietly. What was his past like?  
"Ah, it would appear that it has arrived." Kai, mutters after opening the door. I peer around him at the world beyond my room.  
Hallway. A white hallway is what I see. I wanna go look, but then I remember Kai's words from yesterday, and then the urge promptly leaves, replaced by a feeling of guilt and dread gnawing at my stomach. I suddenly don't ever want to leave this room, if only for my safety.   
The whole time I've been conscious I've only been able to think about what would happen when I get onto that battlefield—and if I live—what my life would be like when I make it back to Earth. Not once did I stop to think of the war and its impact on Kai as well.   
Sure it probably wouldn't be as bad for Kai as it would for me, but it's the same effect, really, whether you kill or see the people get killed completely helpless to the situation. Kai isn't a soldier, and he obviously isn't a government official, considering he's here to serve me, which sounds wrong when I think about it.  
I'm sure he sees this whole thing as wrong, he doesn't seem like the person to condone wars, so why is he working here? I'm not gonna ask him, it's an invasion of privacy. However, I'm sure this whole scenario of him having to watch his people and innocent Earth dwellers die isn't easy to even think about.   
Nonetheless, through my thoughts I hear Kai talk about me hurrying to get dressed and go down to the training center to be there as early as we can to leave a good impression on the others. Because no one likes a soldier who slacks.  
Wordlessly, I grab the clothes from Kai's hand and walk in the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind me. It's a simple electric blue exercise outfit, made of that stretchy fabric, but also something different that makes the inside feel like a comfortable cotton. Unsurprisingly, it's very comfortable.   
I leave my clothes from yesterday in a pile on the floor, and walk out of the bathroom and see Kai sitting on my bed and frowning at something in the box. "What's happening?" I ask, and Kai jumps, startled. Oddly, I find this ironic considering that Kai's the one that moves extremely quietly.   
"Oh, I am just trying to think something through, it really is not something of great importance!" He states, leaping off of the bed, and landing soundly on the ground. Shocking.   
"If you are done, let us head down to the training room. Once we are there, I will be in the corner, watching, ready for any sort of need, if my help is required. Your chosen weapon appears to be a bow. I do not know, admittedly, if you are any good with a bow and arrow." He rambles, before stopping.   
I can't help but laugh at that. "Kai, why do you always talk so formally?"   
He turns to me, confusion written all over his face. "What do you mean? This is how we are taught to talk, from a very young age, I might add." So that's what it is.   
"Huh." Is my only reply as I let silence settle between us.   
"Now this," Kai begins, "is the Training Room."   
He pushes a grand dark oak door open, and we walk inside.   
Let the training begin.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke with a start. A bad dream Kai, it was just a bad dream. Although the dark doesn’t help. It makes it feel suffocating. Nevertheless, I gather my just-above-my-shoulder length hair—which is an accomplishment, I might add—and tie it in a ponytail, and proceed to throw the covers off of me. 

I need some fresh air. Closing the room door behind me, I quietly pad with socked feet towards the kitchen.Throwing open the balcony doors, leaning on the rail and letting out a sigh. Squeezing my eyes shut, I push all thought of that stupid nightmare out of my head. I have to keep telling myself that it wasn’t real. 

Against my will, the dream resurfaces. It was dark, but then again, it always is. I was the only one standing, everyone else lays on the ground, pools of blood oozing from their bodies and seeping into the ground. People I know lay closest to me; my parents, my baby sister, my best friend, and Ezra. Tears spring to my eyes as a voice behind me tells me it’s all my fault. But I can’t turn around or argue back. I’m stuck in my spot, choking on my words. And then I woke up. 

Flashback now over, I force my mind off those thoughts, and instead turn my thoughts to what Ezra taught me about Earth yesterday. Of course, we didn’t have that much time, so we couldn’t go in depth and I had to fill in temporary holes, so I didn’t really understand a hundred percent of it. A ball of fire that not only gives off white light, but disperses heat as well? Unimaginable, but I believe Ezra.

However, with my eyes still closed, I imagine the light shining on my body, the warmth spreading through my body. I feel a grin begin to form, and I don’t bother to try and contain it. Of course, what and how I’m imagining the sun and its warmth likely isn’t what it really is like. But I would do nearly anything to feel the sun on my face, its warmth in my soul.

“Kai?” I startle out of my daze and turn to see my eight year old sister, wrapped in her fuzzy blue throw blanket. 

“Yeah?” 

“What are you doing out here?” She asks, cocking her head to the side. My baby sister, Evianna, whom my parents and I always call Evi. With her sea green eyes and hair the color of mine reaching to the bottom of her back when loose, Evianna is truly the beauty among my family. I, on the other hand, am not considered beautiful, at least to myself. 

I open my arms and she steps in, and we stand under our ugly moon, locked in an embrace. “I could not fall asleep.” I mutter, placing my chin on the top of her head as I realize how tired I have been for the past two days. Fatigue has been protesting in my bones every time I move. “Do you have to go to work today?” She whispers. 

We’ve always been really close, despite there being a nine year age difference between me and Evianna. “Yeah.” I reply. I wish I didn’t have to go to work, that’s the honest truth, and I’m honestly ashamed about that. 

“I wish you did not have to, it is always so boring without you here.” She murmurs with sorrow laced through her voice. 

I wish I could tell her the reasons why I need to, but she’s too young to know all the debt this messed up government has put my parents through. She doesn’t need to hate her planet at eight years old like I did because she saw how much her family was struggling. 

Besides, my parents warned me not to say anything about it, they didn’t want her to get caught in this web like the three of us did. They want her to have a good, worry free life. So, I merely hug her closer to me, wishing that I didn’t have to do any of this. I briefly glance at the clock on our kitchen wall, situated above the stove. I have an hour before I need to go. “Evi, I gotta go get ready for work and make us breakfast.” I say, realizing that I had been out here in the cold, harsh breeze. I don’t know why I hadn’t felt it when I first came out, but the chill is working its way into my bones, adding to the fatigue. I’m gonna need to shower in hot water. 

Reluctantly, she steps out of our hug and walks inside, holding the door open for me. I nod, and we make our way to my room. She perches on my bed as I gather my necessary items for my shower. I nod to her, our signal that she can watch on the television in my room, but on low volume so as to not wake our parents.

After closing the door bathroom door behind me, I start the water, and while it warms up I strip out of my sweat soaked pajamas, shuddering at the nightmare, yet shivering as it instantly becomes ten degrees colder. Quickly stepping into the now hot water, I sigh as my body warms up, and stand under the pouring stream for at least five minutes, before getting on with actually showering. 

After I’m done with my shower, I dress in the government issued clothing, a gray hospital-looking outfit, and brush out my unruly hair. As it dries, it’ll become defiantly curly, which I’ll fix by putting it in a bun. 

 

When I open the door, a wave of room temperature air hits me. At least it isn’t cold. Still, I grab a thick brown jacket from my closet and walk to the kitchen, Evianna turning off my television, and closing the door behind as she follows me. I think, for today, I’ll make something healthy, like a fruit salad. Grabbing different fruits, like our blue grapes, purple apples, black strawberries, and yellow cherries, I grab a big glass bowl and wash all the fruit, carefully slicing and removing all the pitts from the cherries. Evianna sits on the bench placed in our kitchen, headphones on and watching something with extreme focus. Rolling my eyes and slightly smiling, I turn my attention back to the fruits, sliding them group by group into the bowl, and covering the bowl with plastic wrap after mixing the items together, and setting some of the fruit salad into two bowls. One for me, one for Evi. 

I call Evianna from her tablet, and she obediently walks over to the table, sitting and eating her fruit. Wordlessly, we consume the food in front of us, a comfortable silence enveloping the both of us. However, we’re done too soon, and I find myself washing the few dishes in the sink, my hands covered in soapy bubbles. Bubbles that pop one by one, prolonging the mass riddance of the floating spherical orbs. 

Once everything is washed and left to dry, I check the time. Forty-five minutes until I have to actually be at work. While I would normally enjoy the idea of staying home for a while longer, now I simply feel trapped. So, giving specific instructions to Evianna, and reminding her every three instructions not to open the door unless I tell her it’s me through the door. Nodding, she eventually rolls her eyes and pushes me out the door (which isn’t a difficult task, I’m admittedly short), tossing me my jacket, and closing the door behind me. I stay at the door, silent and not breathing, until I hear the click and shift of the lock turning. Satisfied, I head out into the cold world, not yet putting my jacket on. Instead, I fold it over my arms and keep my body open, embracing the cold weather with open arms. 

It’s only when my teeth begin to clatter and I start to comprehend that I can feel my muscles and bones quite literally vibrating, that I give in and put on my jacket. By this point, I can perceive the looming building jutting from the floor and into the atmosphere. I won’t be able to warm up at all. 

And the bad part is they always keep the air conditioning on full blast, so I can either remain freezing and take off my jacket, or keep it on and have a chance at warming up. Pulling open the side doors for us workers, it feels a bit warmer, but compared to the overall outside temperature, naturally it would feel like that, the government officials aren’t completely insane. 

First order of business: make breakfast for Ezra, as my sheet of paper listing all my duties for the day. Briefly skimming through the day’s activities, my eyes come to a stop at “Take charge out of building and show them around the city.” Completely baffled I turn to Amelié, one of my better coworkers. She has light brown bobbed hair, and shimmering sapphire colored eyes. “Amelié, do you know where we are supposed to take our...companions?” I question.

I don’t say charges because it feels wrong. They’re alive too, not to mention they didn’t even commit any crimes—well, as far as I know—so there is no reason to call them that. Amelié, donning a shocked expression, whispers a reminder that I shouldn’t be caught calling them companions, or associating myself with them. Punishment for that kind of crime could be dire. I nod, and she pulls me close to her side. We’re the same height, so it makes it look as though we’re a couple or something. Amelié and I aren’t like that, not at all, but it does have benefits. 

“Huh, you are right, what is up with that? Taking our charge’s around the town? That seems...odd.” She whispers, narrowing her eyes at the paper. 

I shrug, and together we walk to the kitchen in amicable silence. We need to prepare breakfast for our charges. 

Breakfast flows smoothly, no words spoken about the incidents of the past two days, but if Ezra hadn’t been subdued before, now he sure is. I sit in the corner, slightly shivering, fiddling with the cuffs of my coat sleeves. I don’t look over at Ezra, I don’t speak a word. I simply just let him eat. 

Once he’s done, I grab the plate and quickly wash it in the kitchen, hurrying back. Closing the door behind me, another box in my hands, I fiddle with the cardboard, searching for the right words to say. “So...what’s on the agenda for today?” Ezra utters, cutting through the tension built up between us.

“Oh–uh, it is actually a ‘day out on the town.’ I guess I get to show you around the Planet? They did not specify what to do, however the Planet is quite small, so we should theoretically be able to tour it in a day. We need to be back by dinner time, then you shall take a shower, with an hour of downtime or recreational time, followed by curfew. Your clothes for the day are in this box.” I accidentally hand him the box before realizing that it hadn’t been opened yet. And I’m not saying I personally am afraid of this, but we aren’t allowed to let the prisoners have anything sharp. Not just because it puts the workers at a potential risk, but because we don’t want any of the soldiers dying. 

Procuring a small pair of scissors from my pocket, I gesture at the box. “Hold on, just let me open that…” I mutter, and slice it open before stepping aside. 

Ezra steps into the bathroom, and I refuse to sit anywhere, I would rather stay standing. Soon enough, he exits the bathroom and the relief must be apparent on my face, judging by the look of half confusion and half hurt that flickers over Ezra’s face. I cough and gesture at the door; “Shall we go?” I ask, the overly formal tone infuriating me as well as driving up a wall between us. I hate myself for it. 

Nonetheless, we head out the main doors once reaching the main floor and wave at Amilié before heading out. We take a right at the first crossroads, and I point out different buildings, noting significant events in history, and watching Ezra’s expressions. Not in a creepy way, but to gauge his reactions. He appears to be genuinely interested in what I say, and that helps to ease my inner turmoil just a bit. At some parts, I merely allow him to view his surroundings, and make small attempts at conversations. 

It’s a cold day, and I can see the tip of Ezra’s nose turn pink, and hear the slight stutter as his teeth clatter together. I change tactics, and head for a small coffee shop. Technically, food is covered for by the government soldier housing building. When we arrive to my favorite café, I pull out my wallet, and order two coffees. Ezra turns to me and promptly begins to insist he isn’t cold and that he won’t allow me to “spend my hard earned money” on him. I don’t bother to explain that the building pays for it, because as far as I know, no one in the city knows I’m working for the government, and I’d like to keep it that way. 

When telling Ezra that it isn’t that big of a deal doesn’t work, I turn and proceed to ignore him, waiting for the coffees, my eyes closed. He doesn’t stop talking, and I don’t know whether or not I should laugh or scream. So, in a last attempt for a bit of quiet, I grab at his hand, which is bigger than mine, and fight off a grin when he promptly goes silent. I take a chance and peer out of the corner of my eye, and see him staring at our now joined hands, his jaw hanging open. 

“Two large coffees for Kai!” I grab both cups, meaning I have to let go of Ezra’s hand, and throw a smile at the waitress whose face brightens as she gapes. I’m pretty sure she’s gaping at Ezra though, and I shrug it off. 

Handing Ezra a cup, I voice my thoughts: “I do not know how you like your coffee, but I hope this is fine.” I don’t address the hand holding. I won’t, not unless Ezra does. After assuring me that it’s perfect, I see my favorite park looming in the distance, and grab Ezra’s hand, my excitedness getting the best of me. 

I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks out of pure embarrassment. I can’t believe I did it again, and a part of me is telling me to let go, but I can’t. When we get to the park, I let go of his hand and walk through the metal gates. “This,” I say, “this is my favorite place in this world. I have been coming here since I was a little kid.” 

A quiet, solemn nod is the only reply I get, and I leave it at that. We sit and watch the kids run around for an hour or two, before heading to lunch. I decide to let Ezra choose where he’d like to eat; I tell him to choose a restaurant to eat at when we pass by the strip with chain restaurants. 

When he hesitantly points one out, I can tell he only does so because he knows I would use my own money. In truth, I could take him back to the building and make us something to eat, but this is his day out, and I don’t wanna bring him anywhere that would remind him of his fate.

By the time we start heading back, we’re cutting it close. It’s almost dinnertime, and if Ezra can tell that I’m stressed out, he doesn’t say it, rather he just speeds up his pace. Have I mentioned I’m short yet? Because to keep up with him, I have to essentially run. We do make it though, and right in the nick of time. 

Hurrying up to his room, I tell him I need to gather the necessities for his shower, and he nods, following me. I don’t tell him I also need to catch my breath and have the pain in my side disappear, because I’ve been running for an extended period of time. 

I casually grab a towel, underwear, shampoo, anything and everything that he needs, and lead the way back to his room, handing him the items and watch as he wordlessly walks into the bathroom. Then, I walk out of the room and head to the kitchen to prepare dinner. 

After dinner is prepared and I’m back in Ezra’s room, I set the tray on the table and stand in a corner of the room, waiting. I’ve been instructed to stand while waiting, no matter how long it takes. So that is what I must do. 

After ten minutes I can feel worry start to creep into my brain. It’s been at least an hour since we’ve been back and he isn’t done yet. It doesn’t take that long to take a shower. I decide to give him another ten minutes before checking in on him. When ten minutes have come and gone, and the water still hasn’t stopped, I hesitantly knock on the door. I get no answer and wait a bit before knocking again. I’m starting to panic when he doesn’t respond no matter how loud I knock. I don’t want to call security because I’m convinced I can deal with this by myself, so I look around for something to pick the lock. Unfortunately, I’m that desperate to see what’s going on. 

I remember I have a bobby pin in my pocket from when Evi slipped it in, for some inexplicable reason. But while I was confused when I’d originally found it, now I’m grateful. I jimmy the pin in the lock for a bit before I eventually get it. I then huff, close my eyes, and swing open the door, preparing myself for the only scenario I can predict: Ezra showering. Not something I wanna see. 

At first, I call his name, my eyes still shut tight. But when he doesn’t respond, I hesitantly open my eyes. No one’s in here. The only window in the bathroom has been jimmied open, cold freezing air reaching its cold fingers into the bathroom. Instantly, my first thought is that somehow, Ezra managed to open the window. A pit of dread settles in my stomach as I search through the bathroom, just in case. 

Panic seizes at my thoughts, my blood filling with failure, shame, and frustration. Why me? Of course I get stuck with this luck, the ‘charge’ that attempts, and successfully escapes. I’m getting ready to call security, when I remember that unless there’s a ladder, or a formation of people, a drop from this height would kill a person. And I know that isn’t what Ezra wants his fate to be. He seems to be the type to want to die a noble or a peaceful death. Just to make sure, I peer out of the window, and confirm that yes, this height would be enough to crush bone to smithereens. 

What I take away from this is that there is no way that he jumped out. He isn’t stupid, in fact, I know for certain now that he is anything but that. This is all some elaborate trick somehow. At least, I hope so, because even through my brain rationalizing this all, an edge of doubt still manages to flicker through my head. 

Walking back into the room, I mentally retrace my steps. As soon as I heard the door lock, I left to go make his food. It would have been easy for him to follow me, I wasn’t being as observant as I usually am. Could he have gotten curious and followed me? I’m not sure, but it is a lead, and I have to follow it. Without a second thought, I exit the room and firmly shut it behind me. 

This time, I’m paying attention to every single detail, my ears straining to hear even the slightest noise. All the while, I make sure I’m moving as quietly as I possibly can. If there are any cameras picking this stuff up, then hey, at least they’ve got a good source of entertainment. When I walk into the drabby kitchen, I can instantly feel Ezra’s presence. I have no clue why this happens, but it does. Why he never seems to learn to not follow me, I honestly have no clue. I’m joking. He was memory wiped, so of course he doesn’t know the consequences. I quietly walk around, even though there isn’t anyone here, and I begin to softly call out his name, just in case.

“Kai?” A one-worded question, barely audible, hangs in the air, but I pick up on it immediately, and try to walk to where I heard my name. 

“Yeah, yeah it is Kai, can you please stand so I can see where you are?” I ask, hoping there isn’t a reason he’s hiding. 

 

“Uh, yeah, ok, just let me…” I hear shuffling, and few low thuds. Then I see him pop up from somewhere on the ground, and he walks towards where I stand, relief flooding through my whole being.

“Let us get you back to your room.” Is all I say before pivoting on my heel and walking back to his room. This time, I keep an eye on him, making sure he doesn’t stray.

I feel like—no, I know that— my anger is justifiable. I’m usually the forgiving one, I’m not one to allow someone to blame themselves, no one is one hundred percent guilty or innocent. But this time, I can’t control it. All this pressure is becoming too much and honestly, I thought I could deal with it at first, but now I’m not so sure. 

When we get to his room, and the door is locked once again, I wordlessly stand in the corner of the room farthest from Ezra, the food on the tray most definitely now room temperatured. I lean against the wall, my arms folded, and allow myself to just think, my eyes watching him as he sits on the bed, and stares at that stupid bathroom door. I can tell he’s zoning out. 

I’m right about to shake my head and walk out of the room when Ezra suddenly turns to me: “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” He says, breaking the eery silence. And just by uttering those words, all my anger and frustration melts away. Maybe I’m just strange, but I feel like I’m losing grip on everything I know. All that’s left in place of my anger is exhaustion. So I mutter what’s on my mind, “Would it be wrong to be?” 

He squints as me, as though trying to figure my mind out, and I keep my eyes focused on the ground. Sighing, he remarks— “No, it would make sense. I’ve strayed from the obviously marked line twice now, right?” That shocks me. What does he mean twice? Unless—no, it can’t be that he remembers before. I feel my eyes go wide, and he tosses me a sad smile.

“I knew there was a reason you felt familiar to me. I just couldn’t place my finger on it. I mean, I still can’t but now at least I know it’s not just all in my head.” I try to regain my thoughts, but they run rampant. I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my shock and confusion. How is this possible? How does he have even the slightest rememberance of me from before he got memory wiped? 

I nod, the shock slowly subsiding. “Y-yeah. You, uh—I made a mistake and you left your room and they got to you before I could get you back safely, and they” I whisper the last part, “...they wiped your memory.” Realizing that I’m still standing, I pull a chair over and sit in it and try to control my emotions. Unfortunately, I can feel the sting of tears in my eyes as I bow my head lower. Yeah, I’m the “crybaby” of the group. So what? 

Silence. Awkward silence as I recollect myself and Ezra processes what I said. My brain is about to activate my fight or flight system and tell me to run away from this place when he speaks up. “It’s not your fault though. I mean, I did leave my room, right?” He says softly, and I peer up at him through fallen wisps of my hair. 

 

I feel my face flush as I shrug, and sniff. From the tray, Ezra grabs a tissue and hands it to me before leaping onto his bed again. I rush into the bathroom and splash water on my face, looking at myself and telling myself to calm down. But, something inside me has changed, and for some odd reason, I find myself unable to get my heart rate to calm down, I can hear the blood rushing in my ears, my stomach twisting and turning with nerves. But nerves from what? 

 

After some time, I pad out of the bathroom, and sit back on the chair. Ezra has grabbed his plate, and is eating, but I’m not so hungry anymore. So I just watch over him, indirectly, but when he’s done, he looks at me and frowns. Immediately I pick up on this and pat my face to see what’s wrong with it. 

Or maybe it’s just my face in general? I bite back a sigh and get up when I realize it’s time for curfew. I place the chair in its proper spot and move to grab the tray when Ezra’s profile enters my peripheral view. I’m about to ask what’s wrong when he envelops me in a hug. Heat floods my face again as I awkwardly wrap my arms around his torso, and feel his chin rest on my head.

Too soon, but after what feels like a million years, he lets go, and hands me the tray with a genuine smile. I feel my heart accelerate and grab it, making sure to wish him a goodnight before leaving, shutting the door behind me. 

I drop off the dishes in the kitchen and clock out, heading home. When I get home, everyone’s sleeping, so I quietly change into my pajamas and flop on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I’d like to say I didn’t lay there for hours thinking about my feelings, the scent of Ezra lingering in my mind, but I really did. 

And I don’t regret it at all.


	5. Chapter 5

“How are you feeling in terms of tomorrow?” Kai softly asks the question. Over the past three weeks, we’ve grown closer, all the while committing no more accidental mistakes, following Kai’s every word, the thought of the battle held at the forefront of our mind. As though we could ever escape it. 

There’s some sort of agreement that we’ve got a friendship, nothing more and nothing less. For some reason, that saddens me slightly, but it seems to bring Kai down a lot. Tomorrow’s the first day of battle. It’s supposed to have a set limit of twenty days, before whoever wins, well, wins. Then I’m returned to Earth, and sent on to live the rest of my days, knowing I will never be at risk. 

I’ll feel the sunlight on my face, see my parents, and watch as the world goes from golden to gray, the shift from autumn to winter at first subtle, but then suddenly, as crystal flakes fall from the sky. 

“Nervous,” I begin, “but I have to admit that I’m excited to go back to Earth. What about you?” I already know the answer though. In truth, I can feel the anxiety and his inner turmoil rolling off him almost in waves. 

He stands, his back to me, but he visibly stiffens “I am merely a worker, I must be grateful that I do not have to put my life at risk, though it is a noble thing to do. All I do while the war rages is prepare food and tend to your wounds, should you gain any.” It seems as though this has been imprinted—no, beaten—into him, and the frown in his voice is palpable. 

I can tell that he doesn’t like the fate he’s been given—or mine for that matter, but that’s just how Kai is—but he won’t attempt to fight it. No matter what happens on the field tomorrow, at least my curiosity as to Kai’s hair has been satisfied. He told me he has shoulder-length curly hair. 

I need to get him out of this stupor, and quick. What I’ve learned about Kai is that as soon as he’s forced to open up about something, he begins shutting himself away. I get that it’s a defense mechanism, but it doesn’t stop it from stinging. 

I sigh and ask him about his plans after this is over. “I-I do not really know.” He relaxes a bit. “I kind of assumed that I would go to back to school or get a job and help support my family.” We’re obviously wading into the dangerous territory of feelings, a dicey ocean where if you aren’t careful you end up in tatters. Torn up and heartbroken. I am aware of this because he doesn’t mention any dream of wanting to get married or having a girlfriend. I guess I chose the wrong topic to change to. 

Even though I haven’t lived here my whole life and I haven’t even been here for a month, I can still tell it’s just about nighttime. And as minute after minute passes by, my nerves grow more and more. I desperately don’t want Kai to leave, and I don’t want tomorrow to come. 

Unfortunately I can’t stop time, and sooner than I know it, Kai is fixing to leave. But just as his hand lands on the door handle, he lets go and turns around. “I can wait until you’re asleep to leave, if you’d like.” It’s an offer, and I nod, grateful for his intuition on the situation. 

The next morning, the first thing on my mind is the battle. Honestly, how could I even forget? There’s no way for me to tell the time, I don’t even understand how the citizens on this planet understand the time. Back on Earth, if there wasn’t a clock around, the position of the sun gave a pretty good indicator on what time it was around.

Well, what I have had to come to accept is that there is no way I’m going back to Earth unless I manage to not die. Nonetheless, something’s off; while I don’t know the exact time, my body seems to understand the point in time when Kai typically walks in. It’s always at the same time, or so I think. So today, I can feel the difference. He’s definitely late.

Despite the worry I feel starting to settle inside me, I push out of bed and force myself to continue with what I think would be going on. Obviously I can’t eat if I can’t get out of this locked room, so I head to the bathroom, intending on showering. No towel, no clean clothes. I visibly cringe. I know it’s gross but honestly, I need to make do with what I have. With this in mind, I push forward, starting the stream of water from the showerhead. 

Water runs through the pipes, falling through the tiny holes that allow it to resemble a raining feeling. I watch the water fall for a couple of minutes, completely mesmerized by the action. I know that sooner rather than later I’m going to have to continue on with my life, leave this bathroom and go to battle, but for right now, all I wanna do is sit and think. 

Unfortunately, I can’t hit a pause on time, so I step inside the shower after undressing. It’s warm water, but not too warm that my thoughts don’t drift away. Like it has been recently, my mind sways to thinking about a world without Kai. Yeah, I met him after eighteen years of my life had passed, but with every day that passes, I feel myself at shock with those startling green eyes, and how much intelligence they hold. Intelligence beyond their years. 

I know we aren’t one hundred percent close, I barely know anything about his home life, but I feel like I am. I would have asked him about his home life, but he’s seriously interested in Earth. Almost every chance he gets, he asks. His curiosity rivals his patience, though. I can tell in his eyes that it’s a constant struggle over whether or not he should ask or wait to be told. 

I think back to three weeks ago, when I almost caused a Big Thing to happen. Memory-wiped. I believe him though, there was nothing but truth emanating from his soul when he said—well, whispered—that...that thing that has changed my view on this place. I almost wish I hadn’t known, but it admittedly had to be done. I couldn’t be left in the dark, and I know that Kai feels the same about it. We’ve discussed it when we had another day around town. 

I step out of the shower only when my hands are wrinkled from absorbing too much water, and my ears have popped from being in there too long. Getting dressed in yesterday's clothes again is a struggle, and I need to shut my eyes tight while clothing myself. 

My hair is too short to need to comb, so I don’t even bother running a hand through it. It’ll dry how it is, and that is just fine with me. Letting the door glide open, I hear the doorknob to this entire room shimmy and push, a sign it’s gonna open. I stand there, frozen, and come face to face with Kai. Well, I say face to face, but in reality, I mean a nine foot distance. 

He looks upset, and angry, and a tad bit hurt but sucks in a breath and lets it out. Then the anger, sorrow, and hurt vanish from his face, and he meets my eyes. “So, you already know today is the first day of the war. It will last for twenty days, upon which your life gets put at stake. If you die, you die, and if you don’t you get to go back to your homeplanet and live the rest of your life.” This is all read from a notecard in his hands. Speaking of hands, I can see that his are trembling slightly now. 

After setting the notecard down on the table behind him, he grabs a small box I hadn’t noticed he had and hands it to me. “Your clothes for the day. Once you are done getting dressed, I will debrief you on weapons.” He looks away after glancing at my head, probably noticing that I had already taken a shower. 

I nod, but it’s pointless to do so since he isn’t even looking in my direction. I shrug it off as I shut the door to the bathroom. I figure he’s probably just had a rough morning, not thinking that perhaps he fears the worst. When I exit the bathroom, I find Kai sitting on the chair at the table, positioned so his back is to me. His head is placed on the table, but I see his figure gently rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Silently walking towards him I begin to feel concerned. What’s going on with Kai, where’s the Kai that I know and—

care about? 

 

Now within reach, I hold out my arm and gently place it on his shoulder. He jumps and turns around, forcing a smile. “Oh, you startled me. So, the battlefield. Once you get there, you will be handed your weapon. This is your weapon for the next ten days, then it gets replaced for a new one, so do not lose it.” I note the dark circles underneath his eyes. Perhaps he has problems sleeping. “You will be transported to the field in a government issued vehicle, one where you will not be able to see where you are going. This is to ensure you do not attempt to run off.” 

I nod along, surprisingly not phased by the information. I guess I somehow expected it. “Each battle will last from the time the bell sounds to the end of the day, so be sure to eat a plentiful amount of food; there are no breaks in war.” I wonder how he managed to memorize all this, because he doesn’t have any notecards or papers. 

“Once you are brought back to your room each night, you will have one hour to shower and two hours to eat and have a bit of relaxation before curfew. It is expected that you will follow these rules for your own health and chance at life.” Oh, he really is reciting it, his eyes have a glazed look as he looks straight at me, as though he’s made it look like he’s actually seeing me, but in reality is seeing the notes in his mind. 

“-ra? Ezra, are you okay?” I guess I zoned out, I now feel the weight of his hand on mine, his hand oddly cold. I snap to attention and nod, reassuring Kai that I’m okay. “Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit nervous is all.” 

He nods, seemingly a bit unconvinced, but doesn’t pressure me into going into detail about it. He tells me he will wait for me until I’m ready and then we will head downstairs. “Where do we part?” I ask, cutting him off mid sentence. It came out sounding more intimate than intended and I see a delicate pink color flood on Kai’s face. He withdraws, thoroughly stunned, and tries to regain himself before speaking again. “I—uh...um when the car gets to the battlefield, I will be in there with you, and then I uh will be driven back here where I will ‘carry on’ with my work.” I can tell he’s saying “carry on” in quotations, as though he really will just go home. 

The worst part of this is that I kinda think he actually does wish he could go home. 

I nod, and make sure I have everything I need before telling Kai I’m ready to go. Together we descend the stairs and head out the front doors of the building, down the grey stairs, and stop in front of where a car waits. When the driver walks to our side to open the doors, I notice Kai nodding at him. I chalk it down to a simple greeting, and get in the vehicle after the chauffeur opens the door, Kai sliding in next to me. The driver seems to have gold colored eyes, from what I glimpsed of his facial features. He’s toned a nice tan, and the hair on his head is dark, but lighter than Kai’s hair. Kai and I each sit next to a window, a space between us. 

I guess it makes sense, especially considering I did make it awkwards with that stupid phrase. I attempt to keep my groan of annoyance to myself, but the noise slips out and Kai turns to face me head on. “Everything okay?” His face is scrunched in worry, and I notice an arm reaching towards the driver, prepared to stop the car if I wasn’t feeling stellar. “Yeah, I was just thinking, that’s all.” He withdraws his arm, placing it by his side again and nods once, turning to face the window. 

I wonder what he’s thinking about, how he’s feeling, but of course I can’t ask about that solely due to the fact that we’re in a car with someone who wouldn’t understand the situation. And I have a feeling if someone snitches, something bad will happen to Kai. I wouldn’t be able to bear that. 

Eventually, we reach an open expanse of grass, and the car stops. “We have arrived.” I get out of the car, my stomach twisting and turning. The door opens, and I can feel my heart rate accelerate, and I hop out of the door, turning to glance back at Kai. I meet his eyes, meaning he had been observing me. “Well,” I start, “I guess this is where we split off.” He glances away, as though thinking about something, and then turns back to face me. Sliding his body across the faux leather seats, he ends up where I had been moments ago. 

The car was up to my ankles when standing, so he has to tilt his head slightly downward. On a normal occasion, I would find this funny, but again, given the situation, I kept it buried down. “Don’t get hurt out there, okay? Promise me you’ll stay safe.” He whispers, his eyes pleading me to promise him. 

“I prom—no, I swear—I will stay as safe as humanly possible.” I reply, putting a hand on his shoulder. We don’t break eye contact, watching each other intensely. He nods, and to the surprise of both of us, wraps his arms around me after pulling me to him. It ends quick, however, and I find him telling me to walk to the middle, where I will be given instructions. I do as I’m told, and when I turn around, I see the door to the car swinging shut, before driving away. I don’t miss the wave I get, though. 

With nerves on such high alert that I feel like I’m shaking, I slowly make my way towards the middle—or what I assume to be the middle—of the battlefield. Stopping in what I presume to be the center, I look up at the sky. It glitters, as per usual, with stars, as though they were sprinkled there. It doesn’t seem to be overcast at all, no sign of water or lightening about to strike down any time soon. That both relieves and saddens me. 

I’m about to walk away, sure that I have either been played by this whole government or something is malfunctioning when a voice speaks up: “Soldier Ezra of Earth, assigned weapon: gun.” And then a little circular tube raises out of the ground, bestowing a beautifully crafted handgun. It has an ivory holster, and dark grey metal. I take the handgun when a glass screen opens, and slip it into my belt. I don’t care what the instructions are, something tells me I’m gonna need this later on, towards the end of this battle. 

“Ok, now what do I do?” I mutter to myself, walking away from the center, but not going back in the direction that I came from. A voice, mechanical and automated, drones on. I guess the directions weren’t over with after all. “If you continue heading forward, you will approach a building. This is the waiting area, where you and your fellow soldiers will wait to be released for the battle. This is to ensure the safety of everyone and to keep both sides free of foul play. In this building, there is a kitchenette, where you can find a snack, should you get peckish while waiting.” The voice drops away into silence, and I place a foot forward, ready to begin walking again, when I’m startled by the voice yet again. “As a final instruction, after each battle, you will return to this building where you will wait until your assigned instructor picks you up. Good luck out there, soldier.” And with that, the voice dies, and I began my hike to the building I was directed to go to. 

It’s a flat, square building, so light grey that it’s almost white. These people seem to really enjoy the color grey. When I approach the door, I see it needs a fingerprint scan before I can enter. After trying every other finger, I finally get it correct the fifth time: it was my thumb print that was needed. I almost facepalmed; I should’ve guessed it’d be something as simple as my thumb. 

Once inside, I hear the door close with a thud and a soft click sound through the room. They really do take security seriously here, not that I hadn’t known that before. It was obvious from the moment I learned my brain had been wiped. The room is laid out, couches, a kitchen, a coffee table with magazines (probably outdated ones), and a plasma TV, the screen a sleek, elegant black. I don’t bother checking the cabinets, drawers, and fridge, rather I just plop myself onto one of the surprisingly soft black leather couches. Looking back on it, it might have been a wiser decision to look at my options now. Not because it would have helped in any way, shape, or form, but simply because I could have first pick at food. 

Unknowingly, I allowed my guard to slip, and accidentally dozed off. However, as soon as I heard the door open (my senses must have been running on high alert though, and for that, I’m grateful), I snapped up in the blink of an eye, my guard back on alert. The guy who walked in looked over at me, his eyes wide with shock. “When did you get here, bro?” He asks, his voice laced with a ‘surfer-dude’ accent. 

I decide to poke a little fun, and glance down at my wrist, which is devoid of a watch, I might add; “Oh, it’s a quarter past I-have-no-clue.” I glance back up at him, a small smirk forming on my face as he lets out a snort. “Nice one, dude. Where ya from?” I struggle to not let out a sigh, because I come to the realization that he won’t give me down time unless I outright ask, and I am not about to be that rude. “Maryland, I’m from Maryland.” And then it’s silent for about five and a half seconds. 

“Yo, you hungry? ‘Cause like, I personally could go for some food, or something.” I get up without answering, holding in a groan. I have the feeling that no matter how I responded I would’ve been pushed to rummage around. “Let’s check out what we’ve got.” I say, walking to the kitchen. 

“You reckon they have any ‘American’ snacks here? Because I could really go for some Cheez-Its right about now.” I remark. “Nah my man, everyone knows Goldfish is where it’s at!” He replies, mocking offense and I can’t help but laugh at that.

“Hey man, what’s your name?” I ask as I open a cabinet a little left to the sink. “Brody, you?” “Ezra.” 

“Ezra is a mad cool name dude, like totally rad.” I shake my head and suppress a smile at his comment. Definitely a stereotypical Cali surfer guy. I manage to procure a bag of Goldfish in the second cabinet. Standing from my squatted position, I grin triumphantly: “Well, to each their own, I suppose.” And lift up the Goldfish. I watch as Brody’s eyes light up and he makes a dash for the Goldfish. “Dude.” He whispers in awe, his eyes locked on the Goldfish. I roll my eyes as I rummage through the fourth and fifth cabinets, before finally finding what I had been looking for.  
We make our way back to the couch, each with our own snacks in hand. As we each munch on our food, more and more people stream in, and since I’ve comfortably acquaintanced myself with Brody, I don’t bother to try to associate with the others. Eventually, the room is nearly crammed to capacity with people; some standing idly in the kitchen, others lounging on the couches, and at some point the TV got turned on, currently broadcasting a football game. Personally, I’m not a big fan of watching sports, so I manage to tune it out, and merely watch the room instead. 

We’ve hashed out the snacks in bowls that someone had found, only on the rumor that the snacks were to be restocked every night after everyone had gone home. But I tried not to eat too much due to the fact that it’s literally a rumor. I suppose it didn’t really matter because everyone was constantly shoveling food into their mouths, so my not eating wouldn’t have had an impact. Nonetheless, I stopped eating and sat curled up in my spot on the couch, my chin resting on my knee and my eyelids lowering.

Keeping close watch, I allow my thoughts to slip away from reality. I want to grant myself the right to let sleep take over my brain, but I need to stay alert at all times. After what I’m assuming to be two and a half hours, a weirdly deep voice startles us all, some jumping, others yelping, and a select few not responding at all. Personally, I jump up into a standing position, my hand flying to my pocket. “In two minutes, you will be released to the field. When this happens, you will wait until you hear the signal, and then it is free game. Good luck, soldiers.” We all look at one another, I scan the room with my eyes, watching as these strangers facial features contort with anxiety, fear, anger, grief, and resignation. I don’t know what my own face must look like, but I feel...numb; devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

I stretch, and make my way to the kitchen, grabbing a handful of chips, a mixture between barbeque, original, and sour cream and onion flavoring, and chew on them halfheartedly, my mind elsewhere. I wonder if I put Cheez-Its in my other pocket, if they’ll last. Then I almost burst out laughing. At what point during a battle would a person have time to reach into a pocket and pull out a snack? I exhale, and prepare myself. They never said anything about grabbing potential weapons from the safety of this building. And besides, what’s one knife missing?

I figure the utensils would be in a drawer rather than a cabinet, and begin opening and closing them. No one pays much attention to me, and that’s okay because I need to do what I can to try and survive. It turns out the drawer I was searching for is the very last drawer on the right side of the kitchen. Inside, there are spoons, forks, chopsticks, straws (reusable ones, I should add. I guess they’re very planet-conscious here), and finally knives. There’s a group of butter knives of which obviously wouldn’t make much of a dent on a person, and knives. Steak knives, bread knives, normal dinner knives. I figure that having a steak or bread knife wouldn’t be a good idea, they’re too big and word would get out. So I grab two dinner knives, one as backup—though I suppose both are backup to the weapon I was given—and slip it into my other pocket, making sure it doesn’t poke into my side. 

The doors swing open on its own, seamlessly and without any creaks and everyone in the room falls so silent that I doubt they’re even breathing. I’m the first to recover from the initial shock and fear that seized everyone, and walk outside. Brody falls behind me, and the others behind him. Together, as a troop, we head towards the center of the field. Once we are about to hit the center, another group makes their way towards the center as well. At firth I figure it’s more human troops that were tucked away in another building before, with a shock, I realize they’re the the other group of soldiers, the ones from this planet. 

Each troop eyes the other, some with guarded expressions, others with weariness, and more with resignation. I guess no one is eager to risk their lives. I mean, I could have guessed that a long time ago, but since it seems to be a completely meaningless war, I guess I figured they were willing to enlist. I didn’t spare a thought that they have families, some even look old enough to be married and have a couple kids. And they’re putting their life on the line. Just like I am.

A high pitched trill pierces the air, similar to that of a whistle. I suppose this must be the signal we were told to wait for. I guess everyone also interprets it this way because in an instant—I must have blinked or something because I didn’t see it happen at all—all the people on the field move towards one another. Forcing my legs to work, I dash to the center. Not my best move, because multiple people watch as I do. I begin to feel sick as I see people on both sides fall down, but there’s too much noise, so I can’t hear their screams. One guy on the other side hooks an arm around my neck, cutting off my circulation. My hands scramble over his arm in an attempt to get him to release me, but of course, it doesn’t work, so I throw my head back, hoping to hit his skull, and if I don’t well, I can always bite his arm. 

Thankfully, it works and I don’t have to hurt him very bad. He staggers back, hand over his nose and hissing in pain. I think it’s broken. No time to feel guilty or sick to your stomach, Ezra, as soon as he can ignore the pain, he’ll be back for you, if no one else is by that point. So, I aim a kick at his middle, and watch as he falls to the ground. Then, I turn and run to the very edge of the battle. Obviously, I can’t avoid the inevitable, someone will come for me sooner or later. 

It turns out to be sooner. And this time, I can’t run away. I reach into my pocket and grab the weapon I was handed. I don’t know why it hadn’t been in my hands sooner, and my hands shake as I point the weapon at him. “I’m so sorry.” I whisper, the words leaving my brain as soon as they were thought of. It fires, and the guy falls back, and he watches me as I watch him, pain seeping into his eyes. Then, nothing. He’s gone. I just killed a person. I know it isn’t my fault, I had to do it to save myself. More people swarm me, and I’m forced to launch more and more bullets, some fatal, others not. But one by one, they fall to the ground, clutching their wounds, and one by one, it starts to feel like a routine thing. I don’t think about it though, not at all. 

And so it continues this way. There are hundreds of thousands of people on each side, but more and more fall down and as this happens, I get more and more confused how this is supposed to last for more than five days. Maybe it’ll end sooner than I expected? 

About an hour from the end of the day, an immense pain explodes on my left side. I gasp and try not to cry out in pain, clenching my jaw. Looking down to inspect what happened, can tell it isn’t a bullet wound. I don’t know what stabbed me—oh gosh, I’m the biggest idiot on this field. Opening my left pocket, I inspect the knife. 

But there’s no blood. So what was it then? There aren’t any logical conclusions, but the one I can believe the most is some sort of magic. The pain grows stronger as each second passes by, but I’m refusing to say anything about it. I’m gonna have to power through it. Gritting my teeth even more, I push my way into the bulk of the war, and fight. It’s the final hour, I can do this. 

At the end of the day, the whistle sound shrieks over the sound of fighting, and we all stop, an invisible force separating everyone, and then categorizing us. I try to remember how many people I killed. I can’t remember, but I’m guessing somewhere between thirty and forty. That’s a lot. If I didn’t already feel sick, I sure do now. Not only has the magical stab wound pain not stopped, but it’s bleeding now. Like, a lot. I’ve torn off a piece of some dead guys clothes and tied it around my wound, and it hasn’t yet seeped through, which is good. When we’re sent back to the buildings, I briefly worry about Kai finding out I’m potentially dying, but I have bigger things to worry about. 

Everyone leaves, one by one, as their rides collect them. Eventually, it’s just me left, and while earlier, I had entered and it had been comfortable to sit there alone, it now feels haunted and my stomach clenches with anxiety. The pain makes me feel woozy and I fight losing consciousness. After what feels like hours (it’s really just ten minutes), Kai walks in, which is odd. Everyone else walked to their rides by themselves.I get up to greet him, and have to stop myself from putting a hand on my wound. I don’t chance looking down, either, despite wanting to see if it’s bleeding through. Considering Kai didn’t freak out over anything after giving a one over of me, I take it I’m not, which fills me with an imense relief. “What’s going on, is something wrong?” I ask him, my mind filling with questions now that I’ve answered my own thoughts. 

“Nothing, I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen to you, so I needed to check for myself.” My mouth falls open in shock, because I really wasn’t expecting tha answer. “So, shall we go to the car?” He continues, glancing around the room. I nod and follow him out of the room, each step sending waves of pain through my wound.  
I’m about to pass out by the time I sit in the car, but I force myself to continue on. Instead of focusing on the pain, I try to ignore it instead, and look outside, watching the scenery pass. When we ginally get back to the building, all I want to do is go to bed, but I’ll be forced to shower, eat, and talk with Kai before I can do so. When he unlocks the door for me, I make a beeline to the bathroom, intent on showering and cleaning my wound, after I inspect it, that is. I don’t bother to see what Kai’s face looks like (probably shocked), and I lock the door, clothes and underwear in hand. We had stopped to gather supplies I would need like we always do, before coming here. 

I strip off my shirt first, and remove the makeshift bandage from my wound, which seems to still be bleeding, considering that there are a couple drops of blood streaming from the wound. I make sure to scrub my hands with soap before attempting to clean the wound. Then I grab one of the provided clean socks, ball it up, and chew down on it. That way, if I feel like I’ll scream from the pain, I won’t be able to. I grab the soap in my hands and lather them with soapy suds, my heart rate picking up in anxiety as I do so. 

I need to keep my eyes squeezed shut, because with them open, I can’t bring myself to move my soapy hands towards the wound, and the longer I take without the water running, the more likely it is that Kai will suspect something going on. I bring my hand toward the wound, and without being able to see, my hand unknowingly makes contact. It feels like it’s on fire, and my jaw clenches on the sock so I don’t scream in pain. But I do end up accidentally whimpering a little. As my luck would have it, Kai chooses this time to knock on the door. “Ezra? Is everything okay? The water hasn’t started, and you’re seriously starting to worry me.”

Taking the sock out of my mouth and tossing it with the other clean clothes, I attempt not to hiss as another wave of pain rolls through. I hope that my voice doesn’t quiver as I voice my reply: “Y-yeah, I just got carried away in thought, give me like two minutes and I’ll start. Yeah.” I internally facepalm; seriously, Ezra? Why didn’t you think about turning on the water before starting? 

I take Kai’s silence to be equivalent to “Oh okay,” and press on, rubbing soap into the wound. And then I make the mistake of hissing in pain. It was an accident, it really was, but the damage was done. Kai came straight back to the door. 

“Ezra! Are—” I cut him off, because while I know he’d do something to help, I can’t let him know I’m hurt. I feel like it would make him feel bad, like he’s somehow in the wrong. So I need to keep him out of the loop on this one. 

“I’m fine, I just—it’s just kinda cold? So, yeah that’s all, I’m really fine though, so you don’t need to worry.” I say, and I wince when it comes off as a bit snappy. 

My heart drops when I get an “oh” as a response, and I know that I’ve unintentionally hurt Kai. I shake my head and go back to soaping my wound, before standing up and taking off the rest of my clothes so I can wash off a day of dirt, blood, and pain. 

The water streams over my body, hot water coating my body like a second skin. I would stay here forever if I could, but I know I can’t, not after what I just did. I let out a little gasp as the hot water hits my wound, but after a second, it becomes soothing, washing off the soap and draining out the rest of the pain that felt like a fire had ignited under my skin. 

When I step out of the tub, and get dressed I feel much cleaner, which makes me feel much happier as well. Though, the guilt of snapping at Kai still gnaws at my conscience. I’m not ready to leave this room at all, yet I know my hour for showering is likely over, or close to over if it isn’t already over. 

When I open the door, I don’t see Kai anywhere. However, there is a note on the table stating that he had to run a quick errand and “should you be done before I get back, there is dinner on the table,” and to eat without him. There’s a plate of steaming fettucini alfredo, with little flakes of garlic sprinkled on top. 

The guilt grows even more because of how long this must have taken to make. I run a hand through my short, wet hair and sit on the bed, grabbing the plate. It’s delicious. Like, seriously, I don’t know how Kai is such a great cook, but I could eat this food every single day. 

I finish and Kai still isn’t back but I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that he’s avoiding me, which stings, even though I seriously deserve it. So, with heavy eyelids and a mind exhausted from fighting and hurting someone I consider close to me and overthinking as a result, I set the plate on the table, snuggle underneath the covers, and begin to drift off into oblivion.


	6. Chapter 6

The days following that first day of the war were spent by me doing my best to stay out of the way. I didn’t ask Ezra anything besides how his day was going and what he thought of the food that I made. I kept as silent as I could, and it isn’t that I was hurt by what he said—at least, not primarily—it came as kind of a wake up call to me that not everyone wants attention. I knew that before and I didn‘t think that I was doing it that much, but apparently I was? 

I shrug to myself, dismissing my thoughts as I clean down my workspace in the kitchen. It’s just about noontime, and I’ve been cleaning this stupid kitchen for at least an hour and a half. But it’s finally pristine, and I head over to clean Ezra’s room. I absolutely despise cleaning, but it needs to be done, and I know that I’ll be calmer if I can take out my frustrations on cleaning something. 

I rip off the sheets and blankets in one motion, the pillow falling to the floor with a dull shwop. Leaving the sheets and blanket in a big pile on the floor, I go to take the pillow case off the pillow. I’m not frustrated with Ezra; at least that’s what I’m continuously trying to convince myself of. The truth is that I really am frustrated with him and his sending mixed signals. That first night, I wasn’t avoiding him at all, I seriously needed to run an errand, and when I got back, I found him asleep already, underneath the covers, the plate on the table next to him. I searched the paper to see if he had replied to my note. Nothing. So, I closed the door, and went to head home. I didn’t get much sleep since, I find myself unable to drift off into that blissful oblivion that I wish I could slip into. 

By this time, I’ve headed into the bathroom to start cleaning it. It’s not a mess, per se, just very...used. Very, very used. Towels are strewn around, wet spots have taken their place on the countertop, the shower curtain pulled back in an awkward position. It’ll take more than a little while to clean this. Right. No use in waiting around when there’s work to be done. 

The bathroom took a long time to clean, scrubbing the tub alone took about twenty minutes. It was not the easiest task to complete, yet once completed, I felt much better, all frustration taken out on the unkempt bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, I felt a surge of relief overtake my soul. Pristine. I love to leave things pristine. 

On this planet, life was eerily quiet. It was a feeling that I couldn’t ever manage to shake. Yet lately, there seemed to be a sweet sort of sound filling my soul, melodic and sugary. “A melody,” I whispered, the word seeming to come to me almost as though by magic. It surely was not in my vocabulary prior to that moment. 

If all sounds sound as pretty as this, I don’t want to ever return to the quiet, I mused, tugging the sheets and duvet cover into my arms. I don’t ever want to return to the eerily quiet that keeps me looking over my shoulder every other moment, as though I’m afraid of doing something wrong. After dumping the sheets and duvet in a washing machine, I glance at my watch as I measure out the correct amount of detergent. 

I must have taken longer on the bathroom than I had thought because now I have a mere hour and a half before I need to ‘collect’ Ezra. An hour to complete the load, dryer and wash. So while that’s happening I can go prepare a meal for Ezra. I rub my eyes as I sluggishly walk to the kitchen, my energy maxed out. Certainly it doesn’t help that I haven’t been getting much sleep at night. Too much going on in my mind, and I can’t seem to stop thinking so I just haven’t slept. I don’t tell anyone about this, because then my parents would try and take over and I cannot, under any circumstance do that to them. 

The cook book makes a soothing thwip as I flip through each page, looking for something I haven’t done yet, and that will challenge me without taking more than an hour and a half. I stop on one titled Ramen. Interesting name, so I look at the description:

“Ramen is a type of noodle that many Earth-dwellers enjoy cooking and eating. A simple meal, so simple that on Earth, an individual would be able to buy a pack at a store and cook it at home within two to four minutes. Most enjoy it for its simplicity and its ability to be enhanced with flavor. So take this recipe and let your mind soar with ingredients!”

Truly a manageable meal to make, and as the description stated, has an ability to be enhanced. First, I decide to look through the pantry, which is where I find the packages of noodles in a small pile by the other types of noodles, understandably. I grab three packages, two for Ezra and one for me. Next stop: spices. black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves, along with a dash of chicken flavoring for an extra kick. 

I refer back to the cookbook to see how to cook this dish:  
Boil a pot of water. (Took roughly thirty minutes, but oh well)  
Break noodle squares into halves, and put into the pot. (Crumbs got absolutely everywhere)  
Let noodles cook for three to five minutes, and stir occasionally. (Manageable)  
Take noodles out of pot once fully cooked, and let cool for one minute.  
Add spices and enjoy! (Mixed spices together while water was boiling so I wouldn’t have to add them one by one).

Huh, it’s a really weird food to make, in the end it sits in the bowl, pale and dotted with spices. I take a hesitant bite, making sure the amount on the fork is enough to get the flavor, but not too much where if I don’t like it, I won’t have to force myself to swallow it. Surprisingly, it isn’t repulsive like I had first thought it would be. Yeah the noodles are a little mushy for my liking, but other than that, it’s not too bad. I bring the bowls back to his room and dash back to the laundry room, where the load is done. Gathering linens means a mound of almost-too-warm fabric that I cannot see above. Instead of stumbling back blindly, I settle for tilting my head to the side and peering around the warm pile. I throw the pile on the mattress and check my watch—five minutes. Panic fills my soul, I should already be on my way to the field. 

I make the bed as quick as humanly—hah, the irony—possible and run down the stairs, nearly tripping on the last five steps. I shoot out the doors of the building, running at my top speed, and a painful stitch in my side forms. I grasp it but don’t slow down. I can’t slow down. 

The car door is already open, the driver sitting behind the wheel, his foot on the brake because the car is on. He chuckles and pulls onto the road. “Running late like always, huh?” I glance at him in the rearview. Pon, one of my best friends, grins at me. “You know that’s true.” I say, smiling mischievously back at him. He’s always been taller than me, ever since we first met in kindergarten, when I was an hour late because of the dentist and so ashamed that I burst into tears. I sat in isolation all the way till lunch, which was where Pon took a seat next to me. 

I’ve always somewhat envied his eyes, brown flecked with gold and green specks. So much prettier than green eyes. “So, what’re your thoughts on our ‘charge’?” he asks, and I feel the air in the car fizz. Pon is also clearing off some debt for his family, and we coincidentally got the same person to chaperone. 

“Ezra is pretty...great, I guess. But, then again, you know me, I always see the bright side in everyone.” I admit, and Pon nods. 

“Yeah, that’s the vibe I’ve been getting off of him, but I don’t see him nearly enough, nor have I said more than a word to him.” I nod, and the conversation lulls to a comfortable end, both of us preoccupied with our thoughts. 

“Hey, K, I know you, I’ve known you our whole lives. What’s wrong?” I look up, sure my eyes are wide with shock.

“I—uhhh, nothing really, everything’s fine!” I say, and aim a smile at him in the rearview mirror. 

“Oh, c’mon, I know you so well that I can sense something is wrong. So spill, what’s happening? I promise this car isn’t bugged.” I exhale, blowing loose wisps off my face. 

“Pon,” this gets his attention, since I usually never refer to him by his first name. Always P. “I think—I think I like Ezra. As in, like like. And not only that, but there’s this real weird sound that I was hearing earlier, it was sweet and syrupy, I really don’t know how to explain its sound, but it sounded amazing, melodic.” I tell him, tasting the word on my tongue. 

We pull up to the edge of the field. “Dude, that’s so weird, I think I know what you mean. Let’s meet at your favorite park, ten p.m. We’ll talk about it there. Go collect that boy.” I nod and slide out of the car, running towards where I should be meeting Ezra. I slow down at the entrance of the building, when I hear a muffled whimper, and then a muffled groan of pain. I doubt it’s an intruder, but in the off chance that it is, there’s no way for me to protect myself. 

Heart racing, I quietly step in the building, peering through the door. “Only Ezra’s in there, teeth clamped down on some unknown object, all I can see from here is a bit of white, and his head tilted down to what I presume is a wound. My stomach flips. I’m not scared of blood but I’m not okay with it either. Tiptoeing further in, I look at what is an obvious wound, red running down in lines, tiny rivers on the ground of skin. 

I step back five paces, and make a point of stepping loudly, but not too loudly, and Ezra’s head shoots up, eyes wide as he sees me. He scrambles off the couch, and yanks down the shirt, spitting whatever was in his mouth out and on a pile on the ground. When I stand next to him, I can see tears pricking the corners of his eyes. No way can he walk like this, probably not bandaged up right and all. 

So I gently push him onto the couch again, and lift up his T-shirt. My face flushes, but I push all other thoughts out of my head. A bright red gash bleeds out on his right hypochondriac region, and my stomach turns as nausea fills my every fiber. This wound is deep, and I’m not sure I’m properly equipped to deal with this. I glance up, but Ezra avoids my gaze, and looks elsewhere in the room instead. “Ezra—” He cuts me off before I can get anything else out. 

“Please don’t say anything. You weren’t supposed to find out.” He whispers this, and the pain and exhaustion are almost palpable. I almost pull my body away in shock. Not supposed to find out? What’s going on?

I stand up and look at Ezra, eyes narrowed. From his position, he has to look up to meet my eyes. And swimming there, under all the layers of deception that he has put on to mask his pain, I can see his pain. And something else, but I can’t quite see it clearly enough, and it’s too far for me to grasp. I sigh, and pinch the bridge of my nose. He’s not going to tell me what he’s talking about. I glance at my watch. We need to get moving. “Fine. You do not have to explain. But please, allow me to go get the driver to help me with this as he is more skilled in medical things.” He nods, and I pivot on a heel, breaking into a sprint as soon as the door closes behind me. “P! Pon!” I shout as soon as the car comes into view. 

The door swings open, and Pon steps out, concern etched on his face. He knows something isn’t right. “K, what’s wrong?” He asks, and I huff a little, panting as I attempt to catch my breath. “E-Ezra…” That’s all I need to say before Pon is taking off toward the building closing and locking the car while picking up speed. 

I groan. Running has to be one of my least favorite things, but when I think of that wound, I take off again at full speed. When I get there, Pon is kneeled by Ezra, inspecting the wound. “I will do what I can, but Kai, he may have to be taken to the hospital.” Pon claims, his eyes somber and downcast. 

I can feel myself pale, the blood draining out of my face. “No, we cannot. You know they will kill him!” I manage to whisper, avoiding Ezra’s gaze. A sigh of exasperation sounds from Pon, but he watches my face closely. “Alright, we will do everything we can.” Tears prick my eyes as I grin at him. I hug him tightly, and whisper a thank you in his ear. 

While Pon continues to examine the wound, I turn to face the door, attempting to calm down. When I turn back around, I can feel how puffy my eyes are, but I don’t turn back around. “What do you need me to do?” I ask Pon, who turns around. 

“Uhm, can you look for some antiseptic, cotton balls, and bandages? I will look around with you.” I nod, and walk through the kitchen opening drawers and cabinet doors. Pon joins me as soon as he finds something clean for Ezra to hold against the bleeding wound to try and staunch the flow a bit. 

We manage to find cotton balls and some bandages, but no antiseptic. I’m now instructed to get some dish soap and water, but there’s no container to put any in. When I point this out, I’m instructed to put some on my hands and get “my butt over quickly.” I roll my eyes and do what I am told, and only when I get to Ezra’s side, I realize what I’m supposed to do. I glance at Pon, who grins, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I scowl at him and I can tell he’s fighting to contain his laughter. 

My heart racing, I position myself on my knees, now eye to red gash. I move my hand towards his stomach, and I can see him tense, and sense the nervous energy radiating off of him. I’m no better, my hand trembling from my own nerves. I close my eyes, inhale and exhale, and bring my hand gently into contact with the wound. A sharp gasp is elicited from Ezra, but I force myself to keep soaping the wound until I’m told to stop. “That should be good, you can go wash off your hands.” I remove my hand, aware of the silent whimpering coming from Ezra, and the tiny stabs of pain that it gives me. 

I go wash my hands, heart in my throat and beating as though I were submerged underwater for too long, and blood rushing in my ears, equally as loud. I walk back to the duo, wiping my hands dry on my pants. By the time I get back there, Ezra’s all bandaged up and attempting to stand up. He does so with a wince, and I make a move towards him, but he holds up a hand and I freeze, suddenly feeling like I’m being dismissed. I know he doesn’t mean anything rude by it, it’s all just me overthinking. I do my best to remember that as I take a swift step back and turn my head to stare into a corner. 

I move when I hear footsteps and follow behind them. This is the way I spend the ride back to the building: quiet, face pressed up against the window, and thinking of that sound I felt earlier. When we pull up to the curb, I close my door after Pon calls out to me that he’ll see me at ten. I give a short nod, and walk up the steps of the building, Ezra in tow. We walk all the way up to his room in utter silence, and then as the door closes, it all begins. “I’m real sorry—” I cut him off, internally sighing before opening my mouth. 

“Ezra, there is nothing for you to feel sorry about. You are in pain, and that is understandable. I am not mad at you, I completely understand. So please do not worry about it.” I say. A white lie. 

He nods, and I grab a bowl from the table, the one that’s for him. He attempts to stretch out a hand to take the bowl, but I catch the wwince and the flash of pain of his face, and take the bowl to him instead. “I will try to get you a couple of painkillers. Try and eat.” I walk as calmly as I can, and grab the bottle of painkillers. Then, trying not to look guilty, I walk back to the room, closing the door firmly before taking the bottle out of my pocket. I shake out two and turn to face him after putting it back safely tucked in my pocket.

He’s working on the ramen, at what looks like an uncomfortable position. I take the bowl from him, set it aside, and put the pain killers in his palm. “Can you dry swallow them or do you want some water?”

“I can probably dry take them.” It’s all the answer I need. I walk to the bathroom and turn on the faucet, putting a small cup underneath. He looks grateful for the water when I reemerge and takes the pills with a gulp of water. He makes a move for the bowl, but remembering the uncomfortable position, I make a split second decision and take the bowl in my hand. 

“Hey, what’re you doing?” He asks, but I don’t bother answering as I instead shove a forkful of the weird food in his mouth. 

As he chews, I explain— “You seemed less than comfortable in the position you were in when I walked in and it did not make sense to me to watch you struggle, so here we are.” He slowly nods in understanding, but doesn’t make any arguments against this. 

I understand how awkward this must be to him, and for his sake, I try not to make it worse. Once he’s done, I set the bowl aside and take my own, beginning to eat. Ezra gets up to go to the bathroom, and I take the opportunity to try and finish this meal as quickly as possible. When he reemerges, he looks at me. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Only if I can ask you one back.” He nods. 

“Who was that guy? I mean like, I know he drives us to and from the field, but I mean, I wanna know more about him.” Despite him saying it, I know he’s really asking what my relationship with him is. 

“His name is Pon, he has been my best friend since I was in kindergarden. He just so happened to coincidentally to get paired with me for this war.” I state, hoping it’s a good enough answer. It’s the truth, so it should be. 

He nods, and sits, leaning back. I know this means it is my turn. “Do you have a ‘relationship’—as you humans call it—back on Earth?” He looks at me, flushing. “No, I never have. I’ve never found a good person that seems perfect to me. At least, not until recently.” He answers while maintaining eye contact. I smile at him “Good luck with them! Once you return to Earth, I am sure you should ask them!” 

His smile falls, and he looks pained, conflicted, and upset all at the same time. Nonetheless, he nods. I glance at my watch, and note the time. Nine-thirty. Half an hour till the meet up. I face palm. “You still need to shower.” It isn’t a question, it’s a statement. “Let me grab your things.” He nods, and for a second, I pause, sensing that something’s wrong. 

Nonetheless, I continue on my way to get the needed items, as quickly as possible. I’m already running late, no sense in being later. With a start, I remember that I have to be present until he’s done, and ready to get to bed. For an instant, I wish that we had a way to talk to one another without having to have a huge tablet. But go figure this place hasn’t figured that out yet. 

The door swings shut behind me the tiny slam likely echoing in a five foot radius, but at least this way I don’t need to spend an extra fifteen seconds trying to make sure it’s firmly closed. Besides, the doors slamming every once in a while are normal, no one will get in any trouble. I put the clothes in the bathroom, and Ezra silently follows me. In the state that he’s in, I’m admittedly a little concerned on his ability to properly dress himself. However I don’t mention this just in the case that he’d find it insulting. Instead I instruct him to call me if he needs anything, the most watered down way to express my concerns that I can think of. A nod, and then the door swings shut. 

I figure that he won’t be taking long because of the wound and the primal instinct that lives in my people and probably his as well on nursing a wound and keeping it out of any potential danger. With this in mind, I take the dishes to the kitchen to wash them. Two bowls and two forks, it shouldn’t take long to clean. As soon as I get back, I can tell by the humidity of the room and the heavy scent that he’s doing okay. 

I sit on a chair, and stare off into space, thinking about Pon and I meeting up, but more overly on what would happen if anyone knew about the music that we had heard. In the history of this planet, only five people have heard, or had the idea of music. And over the course of history, these seven people were executed. The only reason for doing this being that this government doesn’t want the people to be like the people of Earth, listening and creating, thinking for themselves. But I suppose the jokes on them, because they aren’t in my head, I think for myself. 

I habitually glance at my watch, keeping an eye on the time. The gift was a joke, one that Pon thought might help me be more on time. At ten minutes past ten, Ezra exits the bathroom, And flops down on the bed, eyes closed. “Are you tired?” I ask. He nods. “Would you like to sleep now?” Another nod. “Very well.” And as though a hypnotist snapped their fingers, Ezra was out cold. 

I slip out of the room, and descend the stairs two by two, almsot slipping a couple times. The air outside is frigid, and wet, the type that seeps through your skin and into your bones almost as soon as you step into it. I remembered to grab my coat, though it isn’t nearly as sustainable as this weather calls for. Within two minutes, my teeth are chattering and my body is shivering, but I push on. 

The park gates loom over me as I approach it, and the sight makes me think of a horror movie. Granite benches are situated around a black and white marble fountain, and only one bench is occupied. Even in the dark, I can tell that it’s Pon. And as though he can sense my presence, his head turns around, and he instantly finds me. I walk over to him, and he stands.  
Upon a further inspection, Pon says “Let’s go to your house. It’s way too cold out here to talk.” Wordlessly agreeing with him, we walk together, out of the park, and on the path to my house. Pon slips a hand in mine, which we do normally. His hand is cold, but as I’m sure mine is too, I don’t say anything or move my hand away. Once home, I open the door and walk in, a blast of warm air, delightful against my cold body. 

“You want hot chocolate?” I ask, heading towards the kitchen. 

“Nah, I’m good.” I nod and we instead walk to my room, closing the door behind us. The walls in this place are thin, but I’m not really concerned about anyone overhearing our conversation.

“So, the sound. What would you describe it as?” He begins, and I look down at my hands. 

“I don’t know, I guess it sounded musical?” I reply, the word ‘musical’ slipping naturally, as though it has always been there with me. And suddenly, I know it was the perfect word to describe the sound. 

“Dude, I know exactly what you mean! That’s the same word I’d use to describe what I heard.” I look up, my heart thumping because I know he isn’t lying, and it puts him in danger. I’m sure my expression is grim as I reply— “We can’t tell anyone about this. They might rat us out to the police and then we would be hunted, captured, tried, and…” I look away and whisper “executed.” 

He nods, he understands, I know he does because when we learned about what happened to anyone knowing music in fourth grade, we both had the same horrified expression, and later swore we would never betray the other even if it’s about our thoughts on music. 

“Well, what do we do from here, then? I don’t really want to go back to the emptiness of before.” I ask, and Pon taps his chin thoughtfully. 

“We have no way to leave though, and you know that.” Sadly, he’s right. “Guess we have to leave it for now, I guess.” I mutter and Pon nods, agreeing with me. 

We abandon the topic, going on to chat about nonsensical things, but I know both of us are thinking about it still. Being hunted, getting caught. At twelve, he leaves to go back home, and I snuggle under my covers. However, as I do so, I can’t shake the feeling that someone overheard the confessions that Pon and I made. Despite this, I slipped into deep sleep, a much needed one too.


	7. Chapter 7

“Kai? Kai, wake up!” Evianna’s voice cuts through my sleep. Groggily, I open my eyes. “Hmmmm? I’m up now, what’s happening?” I mumble, confused. It’s definitely way before time to get up to get ready for work.

“Kai, mom and dad want to talk to you they told me to wake you up.” I sit upright instantly, knowing something was amiss.

“You head out, I’ll be out in five minutes, just let me freshen up a little.” She leaps off my bed and dashes out of the room, a ball of energy so early in the day. Right, I need to get dressed and face the doom of whatever it is that I have done wrong. With a ball of dread settling in the pit of my stomach, I tumble out of the covers of stumble into the bathroom, my mind awake, but certainly not my body. 

Eventually, I find my way to the kitchen where the lights are on, and my parents are trying to tell Evi to go back to bed. She isn’t listening though, and it seems to be irritating them. “Evi,” she turns to me at her given nickname, as do my parents. “Go back to bed so that you can help me with breakfast before I go to work. That way you won’t be grumpy.” Her eyes lighting up, she races back to her room, undoubtedly jumping into her bed. 

I sit in a chair, posture as straight as a ruler, and face set to serious mode. “You guys wanted to talk to me about something?” I begin, squirming a little under their laser focused gaze on me. 

“We have some...concerns about you and Pon.” I can feel all the color drain from my face, ‘shock’ and ‘panic’ blaring bright rid in my mind. They know somehow. But who told them? Definitely not Pon, he would never, especially if he was experiencing the same thing. 

“Concerns?” I echo, too stressed to form any coherent thoughts. 

They examine me, and I began to hyperventilate a little. Have their eyes always been that accusing? My mom opens her mouth: “Yes, your sister told us you and Pon had a chat last night and it concerned her, so she told us. She’s concerned for you, Kai.” Why did she repeat it and why did she have to say my name like that. 

“We were—we were messing around, that’s all! It was a simple misunderstanding, that’s all.” I lie. But what else can I do? I was already walking on ice, but now I’m walking on thin ice, and it’s cracking beneath my feet.

“Kai, it very well could be, but you know the rules very well. We cannot disobey our world.” My dad says and I feel my stomach drop to my feet. This is it. 

I grab at one last straw. “Would you do the same if it were Evianna instead of me?” I whisper, head down, but eyes pushed as high up as they can go. 

“Your sister has nothing to do with it. Do not drag her into this, do you understand me?” I throw my head up, at first appalled, and later a blank look. 

Rather than confirm my understanding, I pose a question of my own. “So what now?” These three words are uttered, and everything comes to a standstill. Now eerily quiet, the only noise in the room is the loud ticking of the clock, which seems to sign off my imminent doom. 

“We need you to finish clearing the debt, and the war is over in three days. Then, we tell the authorities. We don’t want to do this to you but you’re a danger to this world, and as citizens, it is our duty to keep our people safe.” I shake my head. This is unfathomable. This has to be a dream, it has to be. 

Because my parents would never do this. But when I pinch my side, I feel it and know it’s real. I’m going to be hunted. I stand up, thinking rashly when I simply reply “You’ll have to catch me first, and then they will.” I throw a mischievous grin before walking out, but I can’t help looking back and feeling satisfaction in their angered faces. 

But this isn’t a game. It’s a matter of life or death. And that’s something that I could never forget, even if I got my memory wiped. I don’t go back to my room, instead I sit on the balcony, listening to the night life, and soon I find myself shivering because I went to sleep in short sleeves and a pair of shorts. My teeth chatter as I hold my hand up to my eyes and find it turning blue at the tips. Perfect.

Time peels from minutes to hours, and eventually it’s time for me to get inside and get ready. At that point, my whole body’s numb, the cold having ate away all my warmth. When I attempt to stand up, I stumble and almost fall over, but manage to make it to the door nonetheless. The air inside is grossly stuffy, and I think that I might have lost consciousness at one point while I was outside, but not due to falling asleep. When I manage to grab clothes in my fog, I fill the tub with warm water rather than showering. While the tub fills up, I sit on the ground, curled up in a ball and despite the warmth inside, I’m still shaking.

Once the tub is sufficiently filled, I slip into the warm water knowing I can’t stay submerged for long. I have three hours before work. And I plan on spending two of them warming up. For today, and the rest of my time in this dwelling, my family can fend for themselves. Betrayal stings like no there’s no tomorrow, and though I tried to fight it, my tears are soon mingling with the water, lost to me forever as I lay there, slightly floating in the water, staring at the bright white ceiling. 

Every cell in my body basks in the warmth of the water, and after an hour, I’m delightfully warm. When I decide to get a move on with the morning, I sit up and wash all the worries away. After I’m done, I stand in front of the mirror, observing my face. If I want to have a chance at succeeding in hiding, I need to change my appearance. Which unfortunately also includes having to cut my hair. I’ll cut it on the night of the last day, that way I have two days to think about what length would make me unrecognizable. Maybe I should also dye it, that would throw them off. I still have some allowance so I can buy the dye without my parents knowing, and I take a moment to thank myself for saving it. 

I’m wearing the usual scrubs, these ones light blue with yellow dots and burrowed in a big gray jacket, as I’m still slightly chilled. Heading to the kitchen, I only plan to make breakfast for Evianna, despite the fact that she essentially was the one who ratted me out to mom and dad. She didn’t know any better though, so I can’t blame her. I would have done the same thing if I loved my world.

I make her pancakes, leaving it covered to stay warm, and a note on top, stating it’s hers. I’ll leave it to my parents to explain to her why I didn’t make them breakfast. Let’s see what they’ll say, how they’ll try to turn her against me. 

Then, I slip out of the house, forty-five minutes before I need to start work, heading towards Pon’s place. I need to warn him, I have no choice. I raise the bronze knocker and let it fall back, cringing at the noise following. After three and a half minutes of standing in the frosty air, the door opens. Pon, his hair only halfway completed, ushers me in the house on sight. We head up to his room, which is secluded from the rest of his house, which is now the most optimal thing I could have done. 

“You’re usually not one to show up here unannounced, even though we’ve been best buds since primary school, so what’s the emergency?” He asks, eyeing my face with a look of concern, as he works on his hair. 

“They—my parents, they know. They’re going to rat us out.” I blurt, looking away as tears prick at my eyes. 

In the corner of my eye, I can see his hands stop in the air, and then drop to the sink where he washes off the hair gel and the turns to face me. He walks over to me in just one step, whereas I know it would take me two. “What do you mean, ‘they know?’ How could they know?” He asks, and the walls feel like they’re closing in as my heart starts pounding. Is he accusing me of telling them about it?

“Pon, you know it wasn’t me. I would never tell a soul.” I state, my voice shaky. 

“I never would think it was you, I’m not stupid, Kai. But who was it?” He questions, putting a hand on my shoulder. 

“Evianna.” I whisper.

“Evi?!” He repeats, taking a step back.

I nod. “She overheard and told because she was worried or something like that.”

“When should we expect to be hunted?” 

“Three days. But I’m trying to make an escape plan. I think we’re going to need Ezra’s help though.” I begin, and scrutinize his expression, and he nods, pressing me to say more. 

“First, we dye and cut our hair. Second, we get colored contacts, I already have some at home. Third, we leave. Every move we make needs to be covered or else it becomes a potential lead.” He nods, this all makes sense to him, and I know it because we think alike. 

“So why do we need Ezra?” The golden cherry on top of the perfect escape plan. 

“There was document in the files no one has ever seen, even the librarians. I, however, found it. The documents reported a fourth musician who managed to get away by being in contact with a soldier from Earth when the portal opened. That is what we are going to do.” He looks at me, eyes wide with a face full of incredulity. 

Thirty minutes. “Wait, you want us to leave? Kai, we’ve got our whole lives here! Besides, what are the chances they actually go through with telling the authorities?” Honestly, I kind of expected him to ask me that, and I have my answer prepared. 

“Pon, they told me they were only going to wait until the war is over because they want to clear the debt. Believe me now?” I ask, a challenging look in my eye.   
He rubs his face, turns back to the mirror wordlessly, eyeing my face all the while. He goes back to fixing his hair, “I never didn’t believe you, K. I’m just scared, really. I mean, we have to leave our whole lives behind.” I nod, my expression solemn. 

“But we have to. We aren’t safe here at all.” I mumbly, fiddling with the zipper of my jacket before checking the time yet again. Twenty minutes. “I better get heading to work, there are twenty minutes before wake up.” I place a hand on the handle and hesitate only slightly. Am I seriously going to abandon my whole life? 

A slideshow of my life plays in my mind, trips to the park, losing my first tooth, my first day of school. The years float through my mind, and I see my body and face change in the countless hours I stood in the mirror, observing, watching my friends change, too. Cold nights spent with family and friends, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, summer time spent in the park, an ice cream cone causing my hands to be sticky. 

I shake my head, clearing it a little, and open the door, stepping out. As soon as I step out of Pon’s house, I take off running. Eighteen minutes left. I have to make it, I know I will, it’s only a five minute walking distance, but I still need to make breakfast. I think I’m just going to make pancakes. At some point, I need to figure out how I’m supposed to smuggle Ezra out of the base, and inform him on the plan. 

I dash up the stairs, and pause at the kitchen, weighing what my options are. I can stop and make the pancake batter, or I could wake Ezra up just a bit early and make the pacakes while he’s showering and getting dressed. I sigh and push the doors to the kitchen open, fourteen minutes left. That’s enough time to get the batter made. 

I have five minutes by the time I finish, and I rush to get things cleaned so I don’t have to worry about them later. Three minutes. Luckily for me, Ezra’s room isn’t that far, so I speedwalk down to his door, and open it quietly. At my first glance, Ezra seems to be sleeping peacefully, but after closing the door, I turn to face him again, and he’s tensing and muttering something incoherent. 

My face scrunches in worry and I walkup to him and place a hand on his arm. “Ezra?” Nothing. He squirms and suddenly shoots up into a sitting position, eyes wide, and covered in sweat. He looks over at me, sighs and flops back down. But it isn’t a “great, another day of fighting,” kind of sigh, more like a sigh of relief. 

I do my best to smile and greet him happily, like I always would. It feels fake and awkward, and by the flick of Ezra’s eyes over my body language, it’s obvious that he knows that something’s up. “Is...everything okay?” He asks, hesitating slightly. 

I begin to nod, and think twice. No, I am not okay. I have to be on the run in two days, all because of some stupid law; and my parents are the ones who are going to begin all this mayhem. And despite my feelings towards Ezra, I can’t keep him out of this, especially if I need his help. I shake my head, not looking at him. “No, but I’ll tell you about it later. It’s not safe enough here.” I whisper, and he nods, shocked. Probably because he expected me to deny not being okay. 

When I hand him his clothes for the day, he takes them and does his best to smile down at me. It’s a little bit of a nervous smile because he’s aware I just saw him having a nightmare. And his wound on top of the nightmare? I can only imagine the amount of pain he must be in right now. He closes the door behind him, and I flop onto the bed, not in the mood to sit in that terribly uncomfortable chair. My head lands on the pillow; and I cannot believe that I have never known how delightfully comfortable the pillows here are. I sigh somewhat contentedly, and close my eyes, before shooting up and off the bed. The pancakes, I can’t believe I almost forgot about the pancakes. 

Thankfully, they won’t take long to cook, and I don’t need instructions—I don’t mean to brag, but anyone who has had my pancakes says that other pancakes don’t equal it. I’m doing a chocolate flavored pancake stack, chocolate chips in the batter. I grease the pan, turn on the stove, and begin, mindlessly pretending that I’m humming a tune in a kitchen with a window that has a golden light filtering through the window, warming my face. 

Hopefully, if I survive this nightmare, I can perhaps end up in that sort of fantasy. In a house, happy, with music drifting softly throughout the space, whispers of composers thoughts. As the pancakes stack up, my thoughts take a turn. A life without Evianna, of whom I’m certain is the one person I love the most. I’ll just have to leave her behind. I can’t risk her telling our parents, and besides, her life here will be picture perfect. Two loving parents, relatives all around, a place with familiar people, perhaps even a pet. And yet, while I try to reassure myself that leaving Evi here will be for the best, I can’t help but picture the sadness in her eyes, all the unanswered questions she’ll have. 

I can’t bring her with me, and the finality of that thought pains me, but as I have no other choice, I must come to terms with it. I divide the fifteen pancakes between me and Ezra, and head back to the room, fearing my frown will convey how torn up I am, though he won’t know about what. Yet.   
When I open the door, Ezra’s still in the shower, the sound of running water audible from the room door. I set the pancakes on the table, and check the time, still two hours before we really need to be going. It’s a grand amount of time, and I already know exactly when and where I’m going to inform Ezra on the plan. 

As if on cue the door swings open, and Ezra steps out and despite the shower, still looks exhausted. I risk a chance: “Hey, um so how is your wound healing?” 

He shrugs and lifts up his shirt. It’s scabbing over, which is a good sign, especially since it was a deep wound. “It seems to be healing quite well.” I mutter, awkwardly shifting my eyes away. Ezra lets out what I consider to be a laugh, one syllable: “I’m nowhere near good at grasping anything medical.” 

I smile at him, genuinely feeling a twinge of happiness. “Three days left.” I state, and watch as his eyes gain a look of shock.

“Seriously? It’s been seventeen days already?” He asks, but it’s a question that needs no answer because he knows that I’m not lying. 

Nonetheless, I nod and the room falls silent as we both pick up our plates and begin to eat. Just as I thought, these pancakes are superb, perfectly balanced between overwhelmingly chocolatey and not chocolatey enough. “Kai, these are the best pancakes I have ever had! Did you make these?” I nod, grinning and thoroughly pleased, a mouthful of breakfast prohibiting me from giving a proper response. 

After breakfast, we sit and chat, sharing memories together. “N-no way dude, there’s no way—absolutely no way you did that. It’s impossible.” Ezra states between laughs.

“No, seriously, I did! I am telling you, as a child, I was so light, that at one point my classmates had the brilliant idea of getting a kite and have me hang on to it. And it worked! I was soaring through the town, on this tiny kite, all the people looking up in shock because it really should be impossible!” I insist. It really did happen though, my peers thought it would be hilarious, and it had been, until I almost fell off. My parents were so mad at me when I got home that day, telling me my inane idea had landed me on the local news. 

When it’s time to get going, the weight of the world weighs on me yet again. For a couple moments, I was able to shake it off, sharing memories with Ezra. And now, it’s back, as heavy as it had been. 

Nonetheless, we head downstairs, and into the car. “Have you told him yet?” Pon asks as soon as we get out of the vicinity of the building.

I tense and the air seems to thicken, getting heavier with each breath I take. “No,” I manage to reply, “I was thinking it would be better after the day is done, on the way back.” Pon nods and I can feel Ezra’s gaze shift between the two of us, likely sensing there’s something happening and already knowing he’s going to be in the direct middle of it. Our lives depend on him, and as soon as he knows that, we have to make a run for it. 

When the car door opens once we have arrived at the edge of the battlefield, I feel tension roll out of the car in waves, spilling out and dispersing in the air outside. “I will see you at the end of the day!” I call after Ezra, and he turns around, giving a thumbs up in response. 

That thumbs up was all I needed to give me the extra push that what I am doing is for the best. “Back to the building?” Pon questions, getting ready to drive again. 

“No, I have some errands to run. We’re going to the grocery store first.” I grin at Pon, winking in the rearview mirror. 

“Now there is the Kai I know.” Pon states, shifting the gear into drive and delivering us to where we need to be to set my plan in motion


	8. Chapter 8

The bright white lights reflect off the tile floor as I stand in the hair care aisle of the grocery store. The seemingly endless array of colors starts to stress me out. There were neutral colors like brown, blond, and black—then more bizarre colors like blue, pink, purple, and green. I need to do something no one would ever expect from me, something completely out of my style. With that thought in mind, my hand begins to reach for the pastel green before suddenly veering to the red-orange color, a color that makes the woman on the box appear as though her hair is on fire. I also grab a box of golden yellow dye, and head towards the check out. 

However, I pivot on my heel as soon as I reach the end of an empty aisle. I completely forgot about buying a box of dye for Ezra. On my way back to the hair dye aisle, I decide on doing a dark brown, and leave highlights of his hair blond. No one will recognize him with that, especially with contacts. 

At home, I used to have an endless supply of colored, non-prescription contact lenses, all different colors from purple to a milky white. Now, through years of making up identities, my stash was reduced to three: yellow, burnt orange, and a green hazel. The green hazel would go to Ezra, which would cover up his brown eyes nicely, the burnt orange for me, and the yellow for Pon, who’s eyes would be the hardest to cover as they were the lightest shade of brown there is, flecked with tiny bits of gold and green. The yellow would change him completely. 

With my three boxes in hand, I head back to the register, a small backpack on my back so as to conceal what I am buying. Register fifteen is rather empty, so I turn into it and wait for my turn. As I wait, I reminisce on old days, days where I’d act like someone else, no thoughts turned to the future. There had never been a need, as I had long come to accept the fact that I would be stuck on this planet for as long as I would be alive. I even knew where I would attempt to get into to finish my education before I would be chucked back out into society. Now, not even tomorrow is secured, and that both terrifies and thrills me. I would say I would want to go back and live in those times again, but I can’t. I could never go back to that complacency where I questioned nothing; I could never live with a law that is so unnecessary yet so strictly enforced that lives drift in the air, swaying with a potential threat hanging onto it. 

Finally, it’s my turn. The cashier glances at my purchases and looks at me, thoroughly confused. “Weird combination.” He voices, the words hitting me with his onion-scented breath. “Yes, however they are for the future, projects I might end up doing something with.” I have been told that at times, my formality can come off as intimidating, and this poor cashier is living proof. He gulps and nods, scanning my items and bagging them for me. “Twelve-ninety is your total, sir.” He informs me, and I hand him the exact amount. No more, and no less. 

I take my bag and walk away wordlessly, and as soon as I am out of the vicinity of both the entrances and the cashiers, I slip the bag into my backpack and walk out the doors. I speed-walk back to Pon’s car, opening the door and sliding in. “Okay, you go and get yours now.” He nods and steps out of the car, locking it as he walks in. 

He’s still a bit upset that we have to take Ezra, but knows that there’s no other way we can live. I just really am at a loss at why he’s so annoyed at Ezra, like, I get that they didn’t immediately click, but I just don’t get it. 

I stare out the heavily tinted window, barely able to see anything with the darkness, due to the darkness of this planet, and the tinting of this window. It’s pointless anyway, trying to see the people walking by. Yet, even as I turn and lean my head against the window, I can’t help the thoughts that rage against each corner of my mind, and I’m forced to accept what I have denied to myself since I first told Pon about it: I really do like Ezra. 

Admitting that, whether it was to myself or to Pon, never ceases to embarrass me, and despite no one being in the car and no one being able to see me, I still curl into myself, pressing my face against the seat, closing my eyes. It’s such an honest cliché, like the ones you would read in a book, one falling for the other. 

They forget the obvious, though: In a life or death book, the main character is focused on survival. There’s no time for love, and all three of us are heading into a life or death situation. So, I have to forget these feelings for now. 

When I hear taps coming close to the car, I sit up, scrambling and my heart pounding in fear. Pon made sure to park in the most secluded place in the parking lot, so there’s no reason for someone to walk all the way over here. But there’s no danger yet, it’s just Pon, who gets in the car and begins to drive us back to the building. 

“What color did you get?” I ask, flicking my gaze to the white bag on the seat. 

“I decided to go with midnight blue. I wasn’t sure what color to do, so I decided to tap into your knowledge of colors a little and decided going from blond to midnight blue would be a drastic change and throw everyone off my path.” I nod, “Wise decision.”

He snorts and we drive the rest of the way in silence. Once we pull up to the front of the building, I get out and immediately want to get back in. I really don’t want to be on edge for a whole day. At least in the car I was able to relax a little. Grudgingly, I let the car door close and storm inside the building, thoroughly annoyed at this darn government.   
I choose a simple recipe for dinner, a cheese pizza. It isn’t that hard to do, but it will keep me occupied almost until it’s time to get Ezra. Which is good, because I have no plans to run into any of the people working in this building. 

Three hours into making the pizza and I can’t get the dough firm enough. As I add more flour, I formulate a rather okay plan. Step one, get Ezra and take a little detour to an abandoned building. Two, explain everything to him, including the plan. Three, bring him back to the building, follow all the rules. Four, after an official closes up for the night at two in the morning, enter the building with the key I have. Five, sneak Ezra out. Six, get away. 

From there, we’ll just head back to the abandoned building and dye our hair, and put in our contacts. The building has running water, so I thought it would be the best place to go. Afterwards, we could crash there until people suspect where we could be. It would be the first place they’d suspect, especially when it’s one of the last buildings work rather well. 

Finally, the dough decides to actually be dough, and I get working on the toppings. I already worked on the sauce when I was taking a break from the dough. I had to, I was afraid I’d hurl it at the wall otherwise. The sauce wasn’t that hard to make, really, it just took tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper and sugar. Then I set it off to the side after finally calming down enough to pick up the dough again. 

The red sauce stands out nicely against the white pizza dough, and after smearing the sauce perfectly, I sprinkle a mix of hand grated cheddar and white cheese, sticking it into the oven afterwards. 

By the time I close the oven door, it’s five thirty in the afternoon, meaning I still have another hour and a half before I have to get Ezra. I don’t have that much more to do, just cleaning my station, and taking the pizza out of the oven. That’ll hopefully keep me occupied for the rest of the time I have. 

One hour later, and I can smell the pizza cooking in the oven, the smell of cooking cheese wafting out, making my stomach grumble, a slight pang of hunger gnawing at my insides. With only a half an hour left, I turn the oven off, wary of the pizza burning; however, I leave it in the oven to stay warm, and head to Ezra’s room to grab my bag and tidy up a little. Ten minutes. 

I rush down the stairs, and into Pon’s car. “Wow, you’re early, for once.” Pon snickers, and I flick the side of his head playfully. “Yeah, thanks to this watch I’m currently wearing.” Pon winks in the rearview mirror, and I roll my eyes at him, grinning. When he pulls away, my body slams against the seat, eliciting a yelp from me.   
“What’s the rush, we have eight minutes before we have to be there!” I exclaim. “We are going to try to get Ezra from the field early.”

That’s a huge hole in my plan, not to mention I don’t know how we can survive two days scraping for food. “No, Pon we can’t do that!” 

He slams to a stop on the side of a road, and after putting the car on park, turns to face me. “And why not?” He asks, an eyebrow raised. “Because we won’t have the resources to keep all three of us alive. If we collect Ezra from the field early, all the officials are going to be after us and my parents will spill everything about what’s going on with me and you. We have to wait till tonight.” I tell him the plan and he nods thoughtfully afterwards.

“I guess that does make sense. I can help with the cooking. As soon as I drop you and Ezra back at the building I’ll head home and begin working on foods.” I nod, grateful for his help. “We also have to explain everything to Ezra, including the plan. And remember for the food, it should be easy to carry at least three containers of whatever you make. Any heavier and it’ll slow us down.” He nods, and grabs a pen from a cupholder scribbling a note on his abdomen. 

Another glance at my watch tells me we have another five minutes. A thought occurs to me when I see the pen hit the cupholder. “You have your hair dye on you, right?” Pon nods. “Yeah, in a secret compartment. Why?” 

“Because, like I said in my plan, after we leave with Ezra after closing, we have to head to the abandoned building and dye our hair there, and not at home.” He nods, and as he ignites the car engine again, he thoughtfully itches his chin. Behind us, the tires kick up a cloud of dust, and while that would usually annoy me, today I find it rather relieving, like a cloak shielding us from the real world. 

When we get to the battlefield, it’s desolate, and the sense of relief is quickly thrown out the window. Something has gone wrong, I can feel it pounding through my veins, and quickly following is panic. The panic is an old and very unwanted friend by now, and I opt to ignore it, opening the door and stepping out, Pon doing the same. 

Together, we march to the building, where we hear an outpour of noise, the sound of rambunctious people laughing. I guess we’re earlier than normal, and I motion for Pon to stay outside. I’m supposed to be the one to get Ezra, and that’s what I will do. After a slight resistance, Pon eventually holds back, waiting by the door with crossed arms. 

The inside of the building is overly warm, and due to the mass of bodies, I can’t see above anyone. As I forge my way through people, I catch wind of whispered murmurs, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. And yet, no Ezra. A hand makes contact with my upper arm, and I get yanked over. “You see what I’m tellin ya now? All the people on this backward planet are lookin’ fine! I swear man, all these people would be models back home.” My face burns red-hot in shame and my blood boils in anger. 

All my life, I’ve been told to mind my temper, which always flares up in the worst of times. And true to form, I draw my free arm and when it comes into contact with the guys face, my hand tingles. I could get in serious trouble for hitting a ‘superior,’ but at the moment, I do not care. This man degraded me by talking about my looks to someone else while I was right there. 

All noise falls to a standstill, and tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I pivot and walk out of the room, the crowd parting. I can hear footsteps rushing behind me, and I know they’re Ezra’s. He most likely caught sight of me leaving, which wouldn’t shock me. 

When the frosty night air hits my face, I find that it’s a stark contrast from the temperature of my face. I don’t stop walking even when Pon calls my name, and I can hear him asking Ezra what happened. When I slide to my side of the car, I hug my knees to my chest and gather my thoughts, avoiding the glances of both Ezra and Pon. “Do you still want to go to the location we discussed?” Pon asks, and I nod, to which I earn a look from both of them, as though they’re trying to tell me that maybe after what happened, that wouldn’t be the best idea. And I resist sighing in relief when neither press their thoughts, and we drive away from the empty field.

A ten minute drive brings us to the aforementioned building, where we come to a complete stop. “Where are we? This looks...abandoned.” Ezra questions, peering out the window as he scrutinizes the building. 

“Right you are. I will try to keep this as short as possible, considering we are a bit pressed for time.” I begin, glancing at Pon who nods. “You see, we are about to be in a life threatening scenario neither of us wanted.” I launch into a summarized version of the many unjust laws that this planet enforces, detailing how music is one of those banned things. “And my parents found out, and apparently are willing to rat out their own child and their child’s close companion, at which point our lives will be threatened.” 

“Okay, but I don’t understand what that has to do with me.” Ezra interjects. “Our lives depend on you. We were thinking, that with your help, you can get us off this planet and onto yours. Here, our lives will be at a constant threat, but on yours, we can roam free.” He nods slowly, looking at me just long enough that I begin to feel uncomfortable, and shifts his gaze between me and Pon.

“I…this…how do we know for sure that I can get you guys off this place?” He asks, and I glance at Pon. “Kai and I have done research on this for a school project back in the day, and we found information on a dark website where a guy claimed he was able to make it off the planet with a soldier from Earth. We didn’t use the information in the project, as we did not want to put his life at risk, yet we remembered this man’s story.” He replies. 

I finish the rest of what Pon is going to say. “And recently, we were able to contact this man specifically, where we told him our story and asking what we should do. He replied by telling us that if it is during the time when another war is about to end, to make a run for it with a trusted soldier from Earth, where we can then get away. They can not put a war on pause to search for two people and a missing soldier. Instead, they will send authorities after us, and as long as we can manage to hide out until the last minute, where we will then have to come into contact with said trusted human soldier to be teleported off of this place.” 

Ezra nods, “I’ll do it. I’ll help you guys.” He states, looking at me for a long moment before looking at Pon. Then, we drive off, back to the building, what will likely be the last night of having to do this. It’s appalling to think that after all seventeen of my life, I’d finally be leaving this place that I feel no allegiance to. 

When we get back, the building looms overhead, dark and ominous, making my stomach turn with anxiety. Ezra and I clamber out of the car, and I quietly remind Pon to meet us back her at twelve in the morning, on the dot. He nods and I close the car door, which is when Pon pulls away from the curb, likely going to make food for us when we’re on the run. 

Running through the normal motions of the evening proves to fill the room with a tension, seeing as we know there really is no point in getting ready for another day. This is our last night in this building before we become the hunted, and I’m nervous, to say the least. 

Sooner than we know it, it’s ten at night, and time for me to clock out. I lean close to Ezra as I pull the blanket over him just to make it seem as though we’re doing everything we should be: “I’ll be back in two hours to sneak you out of here.” He nods, and I leave the room, shutting the door behind me. 

As soon as I make it out of the building, I make a dash for my house, so I can prepare everything I’ll need, which includes some food, but not clothes, because we need what we carry to be as light as possible so we aren’t loaded down by rather unnecessary items. I lock myself in the kitchen, I don’t want to face my parents at the moment, they would know I’m about to run off if they see me in the kitchen, cooking hundreds of dishes at once. No excuse would work. Thankfully, they seem to have turned in for the night, which should keep them out of my way. 

The only dishes I can think of that would be easy to carry for long periods of time is fruits and salads, so I waste no time packing all the apples and oranges, washing the grapes and cherries, and packing up all the vegetables I can before packing them in a rather bulky suitcase. Eleven thirty. I use the bathroom and grab my shampoos, and a bar of soap, as well as a few shorts and two pants. Just in case. 

At eleven forty two, I pat down my pockets making sure I have all the keys, and my wallet, heave my bag onto my shoulder and folding a jacket over my arm before saying goodbye to this place, before turning around and scribbling a quick note to Evi, and placing it on her nightstand, quietly closing the door again when I leave. 

“My Dearest Sister,   
I have to go, my life is no longer secure. However, I will never, ever forget you, and that, I can promise you. Perhaps sometime later in life, you will understand my actions, however, at the moment, I need you to not show this to Mom and Dad. 

Love Always,   
Kai”

 

The door to the holding center creaks open as I edge inside, climbing the stairs as quick as I humanly can. When I open the door to Ezra’s room, I can see that he’s sitting in the dark, fiddling with the blanket and staring into a corner of the room. However, at the first sliver of light, his head snaps over, and he lunges out of his bed, surprisingly not making a sound. I motion for him to follow me, and he closes the door behind him, following my footstep patterns and slipping out the same way as me. 

Right on cue, Pon pulls up to the curb, and Ezra and I practically jump inside, the door shutting behin us being the first audible noise of the night. The noise startles me, but Pon pulls away nonetheless, and we start on our journey to a new life.

And for the first time today, I feel my heart rate pick up. But not in terror; no, as I glance at Ezra in the dark of the night, it’s for a completely different reason. One that I’m starting to come to terms with. 

 

 

 

 

I like Ezra.


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up in what I presume to be the next morning—I swear I’ll never get used to this planet always being in the dark—I see that Pon appears to be still asleep. Kai, however, is nowhere to be seen. 

Last night, when Pon pulled up to this abandoned building again, stepped into the chilly night air. Turns out, this government had been slowly weaning off the electricity, the heater, and the water, though the water has been working so far, just not in a gush.

I rub my hands together, standing up. The frosty air has turned the tips of my fingers blue, but in the dim light shining off the light fixtures, it’s barely perceptible. I didn’t get to scope out the building, but moreover, this specific apartment building; at least, that’s how it seems. What I do know is that it isn’t an overall very fancy building, the explanation Pon gave being that it functioned as temporary housing for the homeless so they could get themselves back on their feet. That’s the only question I managed to get in before they told me to sleep.

As I shake my head to clear out the memories of last night, the sound of rushing water snags my attention, and I make my way towards the source. It takes a minute, but I do find the bathroom, which is situated behind the dining area. Sure enough, that’s where Kai is, his head under a noisy outpour of water. His hair is…different though. From here, I can’t really get a good idea of the length but the color isn’t brown anymore; instead, it’s a light yellow with what seems to be orange tips. “Kai?” I have to raise my voice to a shout to be heard over the noise of the rushing water.

When he hears me, he shuts off the water, toweling his hair dry before turning to me. “Oh, you’re awake! Did I wake you up with the water?” He asks, dropping the grey towel to the ground. His hair—which I can now see—is in a bob, and on the ground are snippets of dark brown hair. 

I shake my head, “Nah, I uh, woke up myself. What happened in here?” 

“Well, we have to dye our hair and change our eye colors. I just thought it would be best if I got a head start.” I nod my head as my eyes scan over the sink, where boxes of dye are lined up neatly, two opened and knocked over. 

“I like how yours came out, it looks real nice.” I compliment, looking back at Kai, who fiddles with the ends of his now short hair. 

“Thanks, I can do yours now if you would like.” He states, his cheeks turning slightly pink. I nod, captivated by the way his hair looks as though it were on fire.  
Kai grabs two more boxes off the sink countertop, and opens the packaging, staking them on top of the other two open boxes. “I figured dark brown and blond-ish highlights would be best in disguising you.” I nod and sit on the edge of the top as Kai instructs. 

He steps into the tub and stands behind me, clean gloves on his hands. “The smell is going to be a bit overwhelming after a while, but sit tight until I finish, okay?” I give one short nod as sections of my hair get covered with some sort of Vaseline-like cream to keep some of the hair its natural color. 

After rinsing the dye out of my hair, Kai hands me a towel to dry my hair, I vigorously towel-dry my hair. Once I feel like it’s sufficiently toweled off, I put said towel on the edge of the tub, turning to face Kai who clambered his way out, somehow not falling despite my body being in the way. 

Grabbing my chin with his right hand, he turns my head around to inspect how it came out, biting his lower lip in thought. Eventually he nods, and apparently oblivious to how flustered I must look right now, and turns to clean the bathroom up a little. “Look at it in the mirror, let me know what you think. We still have dye if you want me to put more somewhere.” I do as he requests, and turn every which way, using the installed medicine cabinet mirror as an added tool to inspect those typical impossible-to-see areas.

Kai is honestly really thorough with his work. My hair, once light brown, is now dark brown with seemingly blond highlights. Not too overdone to the point where it’s obvious that it’s dyed, but not too subtle either. “It looks perfect!” I exclaim, still sort of in shock that along with being a master chef, Kai is seemingly a barber as well. He smiles as I shut the medicine cabinet with a satisfying click. 

“And for your eyes—‘cause that also potentially will get in the way if the government officials try and do iris scans on us—I have colored contacts from last year, all different colors. Sadly, my options were not that plentiful; I had a small assortment back home, but last night I had to grab three, and three only. These were the best options that I had; and the only colors my parents thought I had left. I have only three more at home, an emergency stash that no one but me and you now know about.” He states, never once meeting my eyes. 

I nod slowly, feeling like he’s not meaning to ramble on like this, but I don’t point it out. “I do not think that we will need other colors, the one’s I brought with me are a yellow, a burnt orange, and a green-hazel. I think you should take the green-hazel ones, because you have brown eyes, and I’ll use the burnt orange ones since they go with the new hair color, leaving the yellow for Pon. Do you think that’s a good idea?” He asks, and I nod my affirmation.   
A while later, Pon wakes up and we gather around on the ground of the kitchen, opening a container of fruit. A little radio that Pon brought sits beside us, droning on about the weather. It appears that we’re in the middle of a snowstorm, and the freezing air ever so slowly creeps its way through the window.

I’m in the middle of musing over how cold I currently am when Kai suddenly grabs the radio, turning the volume up. “...locals by the names Kai and Pon, as well as a soldier from Earth, whose name is being withheld, have disappeared sometime last night.” I look at Pon, whose mouth is open in shock. “In the first interview with police, we’ve been told that these boys are not only wanted for the abduction of this unnamed soldier, but due to their ability to hear music; which, as we all know, is amongst the most illegal thing to do. They’ve been profiled by the parents of the child named Kai as follows: Kai is described as having dark brown hair and wide set green eyes, standing at five foot three. Pon recounted as having light brown hair and hazel eyes flecked with green and gold, and a height of roughly five foot eight. They are reported as not being dangerous, but impulsive when acting under pressure. If you see either of them, report them immediately to authorities. Do not follow them under any circumstances.” 

Kai turns down the volume and finishes the rest of his fruit in silence before standing up and walking to a tinted window. His pile of orange peels lay in a neat pile on the ground where he sat. Something about those orange peels taunt me, inklings of fear gripping my mind. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen sooner rather than later; I just don’t know how soon. 

I shift my gaze away and glance at Pon, whose face is unreadable, and while I get the feeling that he doesn’t like me very much, I know well enough that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to Kai. And this is something we can agree on, something that lets me trust him enough to the point where if I needed to, I know I could put my life in his hands. And despite my reluctance to admit it, I know the situation likely will come up. 

I slide my gaze throughout the building and off of Pon’s face, before I space out too long and he notices my watching him. Kai breaks his gaze off of the window and walks back over to us—“Get up Pon, I’ll help you dye your hair.” 

Together they head to the bathroom and leave me in the living room, and feeling out of place, I get up and gather all the trash, putting it in one single container. Now, it’s my turn to sit at the window, peering out into the surrounding dark. The city is aglow with lights turned on in houses, stores, and workplaces, sparkling like jewels on a midnight purple velvet blanket. 

I wish I could be out there, and perhaps in an alternate universe, I would be; roaming the streets, visiting the parks, shopping for a new style, or maybe just for food. Instead, I’m stuck in here, first a prisoner of the meaningless war, and now a runaway. Stuck on this planet with two days left before I can go back home to return to my life. Except, instead of returning back to my normal life, I’d be living with two strangers to Earth. 

Oh, that and having my nights plagued with nightmares. Those have already started, but I somehow haven’t woken up either Kai or Pon, despite how loud everything feels when I wake up, sweaty and gulping for air, the sounds of my inhales sounding like a noisy air conditioning system to me. But it’s probably just in my head since no one wakes up.

I sigh, my breath fogging up the glass. No one walks by this building, it’s surrounded by what I can only describe as this planet’s version of trees. But beyond these structures, beyond them is a whole world of people—a whole world of food, clothes, and more. The cold of the outside world seems to permeate its way through the yellowed glass, and all the way to my bones. 

Though I’m distracted by my thoughts and the view of the outside world, my senses are on high alert. And it’s a good thing they are, too, otherwise I wouldn’t have heard the faint footsteps coming from what seems to be the very bottom of the stairs. 

Instantly, I feel a jolt run through my body and down to my legs, forcing me into motion. Quietly sprinting to the bathroom, I find myself amazed that I have even an ounce of grace. “Kai, Pon, there are footsteps downstairs.” I whisper, and Kai jumps, his eyes drifting down to the floorboards as if attempting to see who it may be. 

“What are the chances that whoever it is comes up here?” Pon questions, his eyes closed and drops of water cascading down his face. I find myself captivated in thought as my eyes trail a drop of water sliding down his nose. How does he not get bothered with the feeling of that? “How many floors are there?” I respond, looking away from Pon as soon as the water falls off his nose. 

“There are around twenty floors, but there are three hundred rooms, so that makes fifteen rooms per floor.” Kai replies, watching me with guarded eyes. “So that gives us roughly an hour to finish up and slip out before they get to this specific apartment.” I finish, but the silent, unspoken possibility hangs in the air, something we all realize could happen: they might start from the top and work their way back down.

“They’ll likely post someone at each apartment to make sure that we can’t come back and hide out in here. Is there anywhere else you can think of that’s abandoned that we could use?” Pon states, directing his focus towards Kai. Probably because I’m not familiar with this world, so I don’t hold it against Pon. 

“You should probably finish rinsing out the dye. I’ll keep an ear out for footsteps getting closer, but just hurry up.” I say and pivot on my heel, walking over to the door. I kneel and keep an ear out to the levels below, just in case. 

A little bit later, Kai and Pon exit the bathroom, and find me crouched by the door. “What did you do with the boxes?” I whisper, rubbing at my eyes. 

“We ran them under water and washed them down the drain to get rid of the evidence.” Kai replies, regarding me with those endlessly curious eyes. 

I nod and slide my gaze back to the ground and close them, focusing every ounce of my energy to my ears. I haven’t heard any recent footsteps, but the last set had been like five minutes ago. In fact, that’s how it had been going, essentially, so I figure that it takes roughly five minutes to inspect each room. 

In which case, we should be pretty okay on time, but I don’t wanna get too comfortable and find ourselves in some bad mess. “Should we be heading out and to safer ground now?” I ask, taking extreme care as to the level of my voice in case anyone’s nearby.

“Yeah, probably, let’s start cleaning up, I guess.” Kai replies, glancing uncomfortably at the kitchen. I glance at Pon, only to find that he looks as confused as me. 

I dismiss Kai’s erratic behavior and stand up, surveying the area we’ve been in for a total of one night. The good news is that it doesn’t look slept in, but the bad news? The orange peels definitely will alert authorities that we’ve been here. “The orange peels.” Pon whispers at the same exact time I remember. “We still have to get rid of the orange peels.”

I quietly walk over to the trash can and collect the peels, balancing them all in the palm of my hand. “Now what?” I mutter, watching the peels teeter in the short stacks I placed them in. 

“We could always toss them out the window.” Pon suggests, but I think even he knows that tossing them isn’t an option. 

“We could bury them.” I add, but it’s the only option I can think of.   
“What if we...flush them?” Kai states, looking at the pile of peels. Pon and I glance at each other, our awkward acquaintance temporarily forgotten. It’s the perfect idea, get rid of the evidence by sending it away to who knows where; no one would be able to find out that way. 

“The only problem is that they might hear the flushing and get suspicious, so if we do this, we have to move fast.” Pon and I nod our heads, trying to formulate an escape plan. However, it seems as though Kai’s brain functions at ten times the regular speed because he’s already talking again: “Here’s what we’ll do: we flush the peels and then quietly—but also quickly—exit the building using a secret escape that I found when I was looking around last night. They’re gonna come running when they hear the flushing, so it’s probably best we sit tight in there and don’t move. I know, it’s kind of nerve-wracking because they might find the hiding place, but it’s so hidden that I can’t even believe I found it, so I think we will be fine.” I nod, and Kai leads us over to a wall. 

“Now, here is the secret room. At the very top of this wall is an almost imperceptible ledge, and if you push on it, it opens up to a room almost identical to this one, at least from what I have seen. There must be a secret door to the outside, but I did not have the time to do that last night. Ezra, on my cue, go flush the peels, and come back here and enter the room.” I give my affirmation and watch as Pon manages to climb up the wall and disappears on the other side, knocking as a sign to show he’s there. 

“And...go!” Kai states, and on my rush to the bathroom, I turn back long enough to witness Kai scurry up the wall like a spider. It’s both amusing and terrifying at the same time, but I have a mission and I intend to complete it for the sake of Kai and Pon’s lives. 

Just as Kai predicted, as soon as the last orange peel is out of sight, shouts of command to “go, go, go” rattle through the floorboards, and I silently dash back to the wall, and as I attempt to climb the wall like Pon and Kai, I soon realize I don’t have the climbing genes like they do. My feet keep slipping off the wall, and so, with a rapidly beating heart, and panic coursing in my veins, I kick my shoes off and peel off my socks, throwing them into the now open entrance, and manage to pull myself up and into the room next door. 

Kai and Pon are grinning, and wiping their eyes, as though they had been laughing, and while I suspect that it’s about me, I decide to shrug it off for the time being and get back to the subjects that really matter. 

With a straight face, I’m about to ask a question when the door on the other side bangs open, and boots and shouts of command resonate throughout the building as they search for two so-called felons and a fugitive soldier from Earth. When I think of it that way, I can’t help but think how stupid and unrealistic this situation seems to be. And as I muse on this, and shelter the hurt that pokes and prods at my skin from being irrationally upset at their laughing, I feel an overwhelming urge to just scream. 

But I can’t, otherwise things that shouldn’t happen will happen. And I can’t allow that scene to unfold, so instead I bite down on the inside of my cheek until I feel like I could taste blood if I bite down on it anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

How long we sat there, I would not be able to tell you. Ezra looked as though he were trying not to cry and Kai looked worried about both the situation at hand and Ezra, glancing between the wall and said soldier, chewing on his lip as he did so. 

Now trudging through the snow, I can’t be bothered to try to remember the minor details, things that would change the whole meaning of this exchange. I do remember that Kai and I had watched as shoes and socks were tossed over the passageway, and we had found it oddly hilarious because here, we had grown up climbing, so Kai and I were able to scour the wall with ease, but I guess on Earth they are not able to do such a thing. We were laughing, this is true, but we were not laughing as in making fun of Ezra laughing. 

I feel bad for the boy, however. He’s shaking like a leaf from cold, his nose and cheeks more red than pink. I have been periodically checking on him for the past half hour, as Kai is determined on going to a specific location and not stopping to rest until we get there. I do not think he realizes that Ezra is not like us, he is merely a boy from Earth, and while this weather is cold to us, it is not the worst we have seen. 

I catch up to Kai, who walks a few feet ahead, and nudge his shoulder. I have not noticed, but it appears that we have entered a forest at one point. “The boy,” I mutter, “he is not used to this cold.” Kai halts in his path and turns to look at Ezra, who, along with not being used to this weather, is not dressed for it either. He does not appear to notice us studying him. 

“Well, I don’t know what to do, do you have an extra coat on you, ‘cause mine won’t fit him.” Kai states, and his hair flutters in the gentle breeze. I shrug off my backpack, and rummage through it, squatting in the snow. I know I packed extra clothes, and by logical reasoning, I must have packed another coat. 

When I do find a coat, it happens to be an extra thick one, which seems about perfect for Ezra. As I turn to hand the coat to Ezra, I catch a glimpse of Kai bending over to put everything back and I hand over the jacket to Ezra, who puts it on, quitely muttering his thanks. Once everything is resituated, we resume our trek to an unknown location, falling snow covering our tracks. 

“Where are we headed?” Ezra blurts after an hour or so of walking since I gave him my jacket. “There should be an underground bunker nearby. I am just not sure if it is abandoned or not. Honestly, I am not sure if it even exists anymore, I am just going off of what I remember from those nature hikes Pon and I would take when we were younger.”

“Beats being caught by the government by a long shot though, even if there’s nothing there.” I mutter, and Kai laughs a little. Behind us, radio silence; Ezra hasn’t said anything in a while, so we occasionally glance over our shoulders to check that he’s still there. 

Ezra seems to have retreated into himself—and if I had to bet on a reason why, I’d say it’s due to our laughing at the fact that he can’t climb without socks on. Of course, he thinks we are laughing at him. I think it has more to do with the fact that—from what I’ve speculated—I believe Ezra fancies my best friend. These Earthen folk seem to make everything much more complicated than it needs to be; that, or this specific boy is just very dramatic.

I decide that the latter is more likely as opposed to the former. I nudge Kai’s shoulder and glance over my shoulder, and Kai follows the direction of my gaze. When he whispers to me, I have to strain to hear his words over the gust of icy wind: “Why do you think he’s upset?” he asks, and I shrug my shoulders, mumbling “I think when we laughed back at the building that it hurt his feeling a little, and I think he also likes you.” The last few words words seem to tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them, but as far as I’m aware, it might help their situation—especially because I’m certain that Kai also likes Ezra. But if I know anything about my best friend and this Earth offspring, I know that they are both oblivious. I know, I’m burdened with knowledge, I suppose. 

“Wait, what? Really? But—” I cut him off with a laugh. This is amusing to watch, but I have to put a stop this because I can’t bother to watch them stress themselves out like this. 

“Kai, there is no doubt about it, I’m ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent sure that I’m right about this.” 

“And the miniscule chance that you’re wrong, all-knowing Pon?” Kai retorts, amusement masking his apparent nerves. 

I smile at Kai: “I’m not.”

Kai lets out a self-conscious laugh, and all my tension slips away as I’m whirled through memory after memory of our childhood.

I was six years old. My family and I had just moved to a new neighborhood, and me being the introverted child I was, I had been quite upset over the move. It was the first day at my new school. My first day of kindergarten, and I was so nervous I felt like I might throw up. 

The walk to school took less than ten minutes, and once my mom had walked me to the door of my classroom, she bent down with a smile, ruffling my hair: “Go knock ‘em out, kid.” I looked up with what could have only been terror in my eyes. Beyond this door was a world of kids, kids who might not like me, or the same things I like. 

Mom wrapped her arms around me in an embrace— “You’re gonna be fine, just you wait and see,” she had said before opening the door and pushing me inside. 

All had been going fairly well, though I certainly hadn’t made any friends. I was sipping a grape juice box during snack time, fighting back the urge to cry while watching my new classmates played, completely disregarding me.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a small boy, red-faced and teary-eyed, grapsing onto who I had assumed to be his mother’s arm. The teacher strode over to the mother and the two chatted briefly before the mom turned around, leaving her son without so much as a bye. 

I would later learn his name was Kai. 

He took a seat, alone at a table on the opposite side of the room, and I watched as his eyes seemed to glaze over and to my surprise, tears spilled over and trailed down his cheeks.

At lunch, I decided I would go talk to him, try and make a friend. 

 

The first time we met. What started it all, setting us on this route to the complete and utter chaos that is now our lives. My heart swells for this man I have come to know, this kind-hearted, energetic, optimistic young man. “Seriously Kai, don’t worry. I can tell that he likes you. But hey, I won’t push you into talking about it or talking to him if you aren’t comfortable with the idea.” I muse thoughtfully “I just wanna see you guys happy. Right now, you guys both seem to be tip-toeing around this issue.”

I turn to face Ezra, who I’ve caught openly sneaking a glance at Kai. “I’m going to go talk to our friend over there.” I state, and Kai nods, lost in thought as he bites his lip. 

When Ezra catches up to me, he pauses, looking up at me with a bewildered look on his face: “I—what...uh...what’s happening?” Ezra asks, attempting a nonchalant tone, and failing. 

“Just wanted to talk,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders, “but if you don’t want to, that’s okay too.”  
“No, don’t. Please.” He replies, glancing away, still shivering a little.

“Very well. You seem upset, and I think I know why. Earlier, Kai and I were not laughing at you. We simply found it a tad strange that you humans cannot climb walls with ease, as we are able to here.” I decide to choose my words carefully, as I do not wish to hurt Ezra further. 

He nods, and looks me in the eye, as if knowing that I have more to say; and somehow, breaking the news to Ezra is a lot harder than telling Kai. “I—look, what I’m about to say, I don’t want you to feel as though you are supposed to do something about it, I’m just...putting it out there, I suppose.”

 

Ezra glances at me, his eyes flickering with curiosity. He bobs his head, signaling me to go on. There’s no easy way to say this; it just gets harder every time. That’s how it seems, at least. I close my eyes and inhale, the cold air searing my lungs. “Look, there's no easy way to say this, but Kai likes you, and you like him.” At his stunned expression, I continue: “I might be ruining whatever character development you two severely need, but I hate seeing you guys tiptoe around this, both of you too scared to admit what your each thinking.” 

Ezra nods, his face so shell-shocked that it's devoid of any emotion in particular. “I—huh?”

I nod, fighting back laughter; it's a good sign that he can't fathom that my best friend would reciprocate his feelings, but at this point, it's too face-palming that I would be dead—or my face would be severely bruised—at this point. “I'm not saying you have to do anything about it yet, but I just wanted you to acknowledge the issue. Sometimes, all we need is a little push in order to realize what is happening, and what we ought to do.” With that, I swivel to face the front, watching as the snow glitters in the pale blue moonlight. 

Kai turns and looks back, the moonlight delicately illuminating his features, however, it seems as though he’s been lit up from the inside. He isn’t smiling, his face is devoid of any emotion, a blank slate. But by now, I know him well enough to know that he’s masking everything he’s feeling. I know that there’s probably a torrent of emotions running rampant underneath. 

I gently push Ezra forward, following closely behind so we can catch up to Kai. When I sneak a glance at Ezra, I find that he is laser-focused on studying Kai’s face. I feel the tug of a smile pulling at my lips so I turn away and scoop up a handful of snow, chucking it at Kai. When it hits him in the center of his torso, he stumbles back and Ezra gasps a little, his hand flying to his mouth. Kai glares at me playfully, brushing the snow off of the front of his jacket and kneeling down, scooping up some snow in his gloved hand, patting it into a shape before winding his arm back and letting the snowball go in one clean, crisp motion. 

It’s almost as though the whole scene unfolds in slow motion before it hits me; the sailing of the packed snow through the air, watching as it slowly careens towards me, and hits me with a slightly painful thwack. I don’t stumble, or lose my balance, but I wasn’t very aware how hard of a throw Kai could hurl. 

As stupid as it sounds, I feel as though the theatrics are needed, so I fall down into the snow, flinging my arms in a wild position. Ezra shuffles over to me, mouth agape and kneels down: “Are you okay?” He asks, and behind him, I can see Kai stomping through the snow. 

“Oh please don’t fall for his act Ezra, he’s messing around to be dramatic.” Kai offers me his hand and pulls me up. I brush the snow off my back and laugh. “To be fair, you do have a pretty good throwing arm so it’ll happen for real one day.” Ezra laughs along, startling both Kai and I because he’s been so stoic since the whole misunderstanding. 

Kai turns and steps forward, his ears tinged pink, but not from the cold, and wiping at his eyes, still softly laughing. The sole of his right boot lands on something that creates a hollow thud, and we all look at one another, jokes forgotten. Kai drops to his knees and begins palpating in the snow for some sort of latch, Ezra and I following along quickly. 

It leads to a dark underground area once we finally manage to open it. “Anyone got a torch, or a lamp?” Ezra nervously jokes. As soon as the last word leaves his mouth, a light from somewhere inside the bunker lights up from within, and we all jump back, startled. 

I take a deep breath and stand: “I’ll go in first.” I glance at both of them and walk down the stairs that lead into this mysterious place, my companions following behind. Once we all clear the stairs, the trap-door sort of opening closes, a metal clang resonating through the space. The stairs open into a fairly large clearing, set with a table and a couple of chairs against a wall; chairs pushed back as though whoever last occupied this space had to leave in a haste, one of the five chairs knocked over. 

On the wall opposite where we currently stand is a paper, stuck with a tack. This time, Ezra takes charge, walking over and gently unpinning it:

“To Whom It May Concern, 

I hope that by the time another living being has stumbled upon my hideaway, the sands of time will have changed the utter cruelty that I have had to face. Let it be stated right now, dear friend, that this war my government hosts is completely pointless. It’s an attempt to find other lost citizens to bring them to their ‘deserved’ punishment. 

For what? For knowing the term music. For knowing what music ought to sound like. This is why they have killed many innocent Earth-walkers, for an unjust cause. And I, knowing the term music and what I theorize it sounds like, am currently being hunted down. If I am found, I face an execution, public or otherwise, that is not up to my determination. 

I sincerely hope that this is not the same reason as to why my bunker has been discovered, but I am a firm believer that some things shall never change. If this letter still lays here, I suppose that it means it is a strong indicator that my bunker has not been found. 

You’ll be safe, as long as you have food to sustain you and a human to get you to Earth, where I hear the music is exquisite. 

If you make it, search for The Teller. Someone should know who I am. 

 

The Teller.”

Ezra sets the note on the table, collapsing on a chair, and wiping the dust off the top before setting his head onto his arms. Within minutes, he appears to be out cold, so I turn to Kai, who also appears exhausted, if the yawning is any indicator. 

I smile as I watch him sit on the ground, too tired to realize that he’s resting his head against Ezra’s leg, not the wall, and yanks me down. I resist though, only because it can’t be comfortable to be sleeping on a metal table, or in a sitting position, so I gently move Kai off of Ezra and move Ezra to the ground also, laying out his sleeping bag and rolling him onto it. 

As I do the same with Kai, the thought that I might be the mom friend strikes me, and it takes everything within me to not burst out laughing. I make sure to align Kai’s sleeping bag with Ezra’s—body heat is imperative in a climate like this, where it’s cold enough to get frostbite even when you’re wearing gloves. 

I lay mine out beside Kai’s and settle on top of it, all three of us drifting off into a peaceful slumber, unaware as to what could be happening elsewhere on the world. 

“Pon,” I groan, I’m still tired, I want to sleep. “Pon, wake up. Pon there’s an emergency!” My eyes snap open, wide awake. 

“What? What’s the emergency?” I scramble out of my sleeping bag as fast as I physically can. Ezra covers my mouth with his hand before I can ask any more questions, opting to gesture to the ceiling and Kai stands behind him, holding onto his arm, eyes wide with fear. 

I tilt my head towards the specified place, just able to make out the faint sound of boots crunching snow underneatht their soles. I feel my eyes widen as I reach up to take Ezra’s hand off of my mouth. I raise a finger to my mouth, signaling him not to make a noise. He nods, and Kai blearily wipes at his eyes, still tired even in our current situation. 

When the sounds of marching boots echoes off into nothingness, I breathe a sigh of relief and break the silence by saying “They’re probably going to set up a perimeter around that abandoned building. To them, they probably figure we’d try to go back by now. I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad move on their part, but there’s no way we can go back there. We are going to have to go shopping for food soon though, at least to tide us over. All we’ve had to eat are tangerines, and as nutritious fruits and vegetables may be, it isn’t sustaining enough.”

My two friends nod along in agreement, glancing at each other briefly. 

Despite my growing stress and dread, I smile. It’s progress, and though it may be slow process, I believe that we’re gonna make it out of this alive and Kai and Ezra will find themselves on some sort of common ground.


End file.
